The “multi-millionaire” tag does “mean a lot” to new world champion D Gukesh but he doesn’t play the game for material gains but for that unbridled joy, which he has been able to retain since the time a chess board used to be the “coolest toy” for him.
Gukesh, the 18-year-old from Chennai, is now richer by Rs 11.45 crore which he will receive from FIDE as prize money for beating Ding Liren of China in the final.
Gukesh’s father Rajnikanth gave up his career as an ENT surgeon to accompany his son on the circuit while mother Padmakumari, who is a microbiologist, became the sole earner of the family.
Asked what exactly does being a multi-millionaire mean to him, Gukesh said, “It means a lot. When I got into chess, we (as a family) had to make some hard decisions. My parents had gone through financial and emotional hardships. Now, we are more comfortable and parents don’t need to think about those things,” Gukesh told FIDE in an interview.
“Personally, money isn’t the reason I play chess,” he said.
He always tries to remember why he started playing the game when he got his first chess board.
“I am still the kid who loves chess. It used to be the coolest toy,” the reticent world champion explained.