Chess
World Chess Championship: Who were Gukesh’s team of seconds?
The new world champion put an end to speculation in the post-match press conference.
Gukesh D won the World Chess Championship in Singapore. (Photo Credit: FIDE)
The post-match press conferences at the World Chess Championship at Singapore have been a revelation.
And on Thursday night, when the Indian 18-year old clinched the decisive 14th game to become the youngest World Chess Championship, the inevitable question did emerge – who were Gukesh’s seconds?
At several times during the championship, speculation hit an all time high.
From Vishwanathan Anand to Arjun Erigaisi, several names kept doing the rounds.
And when asked the question after the 14th game, Gukesh, in a composed manner but with a smile this time, named his team - Grzegorz Gajewski, Radoslaw Wojtaszek, Pentala Harikrishna, Vincent Keymer, Jan-Krzysztof Duda and Jan Klimkowski.
“Grzegorz Gajewski has been my trainer for the past two years. He is someone who just works tirelessly for me.”
1⃣8⃣th World Champion
— The Bridge (@the_bridge_in) December 12, 2024
1⃣8⃣-years-old
If chess players wore numbers on their back, we wonder if Gukesh's number would have been 18! 😅#GukeshDing pic.twitter.com/LiMNDcdV8z
Additionally, he also mentioned Paddy Upton, who Gukesh roped in ahead of the World Championship.
“Paddy (Upton) has been a huge support for me in six months before the world championship.”
The teenager also had a special mention for Viswanathan Anand.
“Vishy Sir was never officially a part of the team but we all know he was supporting me. He attended one of the days during the training camp and also helping remotely for a few sessions.”
