Newly-crowned world chess champion D Gukesh returned home to an enthusiastic reception as hundreds of eager fans, and officials from the Tamil Nadu government and the national federation lined up to receive him at the airport here on Monday.
The 18-year-old defeated China’s Ding Liren 7.5-6.5 in Singapore last week to become the youngest ever world champion, overhauling the long-standing mark set by Russian icon Garry Kasparov as a 22-year-old back in 1985.
Upon his arrival, Gukesh thanked everyone for supporting him.
“It’s amazing. Your support gave me a lot of energy. It’s a great feeling to win the world championship,” said Gukesh as media and fans jostled to get a closer view of the youngster.
“It means a lot to bring back trophy to India. Thank you for this reception. I hope we will have a great time in the next few days celebrating together,” he added.