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If history is any indication, D Gukesh’s reign as world champion could have gone one of two ways. He could have found the crown incredibly heavy to wear, like his predecessor Ding Liren did. After becoming world champion in 2023, the Chinese Grandmaster went on a stretch of 304 days without a classical win leading into the 2024 world championship. Or, Gukesh could have felt bulletproof as the occupier of the coveted throne, like Magnus Carlsen did ever since he became the world champion for the first time in 2013.
The 10 games at Tata Steel chess tournament have shown that the Gukesh era of chess is firmly following the path once charted by Carlsen. The 18-year-old, who became the youngest world champion in history last month, maintained his grip on the top of the standings at the Tata Steel chess tournament with a flawless victory over Dutch grandmaster Max Warmerdam in Round 10 of the prestigious event in Wijk aan Zee, staying half a point ahead of the field. He is now unbeaten in 10 games as world champion.
Gukesh came into the event with barely any preparation, spending too much of his time over the past few weeks away from the board tending to media, sponsor and other obligations. In fact, Gukesh landed in the quaint Dutch town after a long haul flight from New Delhi about four hours before his first round against Anish Giri.
But if there was any doubt about what winning the world championship would do to his appetite, or whether he would be too exhausted by all the work he had been doing off the board as a history-maker, the boy from Chennai has quickly dismissed those apprehensions.
INTERACTIVE: How Gukesh defeated Max Warmerdam
It was just a few days back that Gukesh talked about “drifting a bit” after becoming world champion.
“I have to admit the success has not been easy to handle. I might’ve drifted a bit here and there. But the most important thing is that there are people around me who are always there to remind me whenever I go off track,” Gukesh told Dutch public broadcasting organization NOS.
At Wijk aan Zee, Gukesh has so far strung five wins and five draws. Wednesday’s win over Warmerdam (rated 2646) is his first win with black pieces. Previously, he had defeated Giri, Vincent Keymer, Pentala Harikrishna and Leon Luke Mendonca with white.
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With just three rounds remaining in the tournament, Gukesh heads into the final rest day with a tally of 7.5/10. He’s also closing in on the 2800 club: his live rating is 2793.6.
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