Gukesh reveals mentor's advice which inspired his historic World Championship run

29-Aug-2025

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Indian Grandmaster Gukesh Dommaraju, the youngest undisputed world chess champion in history, has opened up about the emotional rollercoaster of his title run in Singapore last year. 

Known for his calm demeanour, the 18-year-old admitted that overconfidence nearly derailed his campaign before it truly began.

“My overconfidence in the first World Championship match made me lose,” Gukesh said. “I played a horrible game, and then I kind of woke up from the dream.”

The turning point, Gukesh recalled, came in an elevator ride back at the team hotel. Sharing the lift was none other than five-time world champion Viswanathan Anand.

Anand, who himself had lost his first game in a 2008 title clash against Veselin Topalov, offered quiet encouragement: “I had 11 games to come back. You have 13.”

The words stayed with Gukesh. The current championship format features 14 games, giving him ample room to regroup — and Anand’s reminder helped restore his focus.