THE KING OF HEARTS @ 18

PORTING world is emotional, and it is this emotion that connects the players and fans alike. Sometimes certain acts are immortalized in history and no matter how much we have read or absorbed, the heart craves for more. So, when D Gukesh turned the '18th@18' dream at the World Chess Championship in Singapore a reality, it is only natural to revisit the young man and his fascinating life with yet another article in this column.

- SWAROOP SWAMINATHAN

PORTING world is emotional, and it is this emotion that connects the players and fans alike. Sometimes certain acts are immortalized in history and no matter how much we have read or absorbed, the heart craves for more. So, when D Gukesh turned the '18th@18' dream at the World Chess Championship in Singapore a reality, it is only natural to revisit the young man and his fascinating life with yet another article in this column. Indian sports couldn't have asked for a better end to the year. After the cricket T20 Men's World Cup title, Manu Bhaker double Olympic medal, Neeraj Chopra's silver in Paris and Chess Olympiad titles, this stupendous Gukesh feat brings a sublime end to it.

Small gestures reflect the nature of a man. At a private event in September immediately after winning double gold at the Olympiad, Gukesh was involved in another style of competition against the likes of R Praggnanandhaa, R Vaishali and Srinath Narayanan. In one of the events, all the GMs went head-to-head against a punch measurement device, the likes you see at all arcades. When Gukesh stepped up to it, he was very unhappy with the score. So he protested and the organizer was happy to give him more tries. This time, he nailed it.