How Gukesh was shaped by a radical ‘experiment’ proposed at age of 11 by his coach Vishnu Prasanna | Chess News
In a month’s time, there is a possibility that 18-year-old Gukesh could go where Magnus Carlsen, Garry Kasparov, Viswanathan Anand, and Bobby Fischer could not. He could become the youngest-ever world champion, getting to the throne in his teenage years, something that has not been done in the history of the world championship, which has been fought since 1886. In his career, Gukesh has been close to tags like the youngest ever on a few occasions. He earned a world championship title clash against Ding Liren by becoming the youngest-ever winner of the Candidates at the age of 17, which also made him the youngest-ever qualifier for the world championship match. He also came within touching distance of becoming the world’s youngest grandmaster ever — missing the tag by just 17 days — when he became a GM at the age of 12 years, seven months and 17 days. What stands out about Gukesh’s career trajectory, though, was a radical “experiment” proposed by one of his earliest coaches, grandmaster Vishnu Prasanna. It was that move …
