Gukesh sets sights on Top-10, Candidates Tournament as he prepares for Global Chess League

Gukesh D is on the cusp of achieving another personal landmark.

Four and half years after becoming India's youngest chess Grandmaster at the age of 12 years, 7 months, and 17 days, Gukesh will sooner than later break into the top-10 in world rankings. Currently on a career-high ranking of 13 with 2744 live rating, he's only behind one other Indian at the moment -- Viswanathan Anand.

It's not surprising anymore that India has been constantly producing Grandmasters but it is surprising to see Anand, who has reduced his participation in tournaments over the past year or two, still being the top ranked Indian in the list (#9). However, Among the glut of recent Indian chess Grandmasters, Gukesh is in the best position to overtake Anand and win the top-10 race. 

After top-10, the challenge, according to Gukesh, is to constantly qualify for the Candidates Tournament, where the winner becomes the challenger in the World Championship match.

"My very short-term goal is to enter the top-10. I'm quite close to it, almost there. In a few years, I would like to see myself competing seriously in the World Championship cycle. First of all, I would like to qualify for the Candidates tournament. I believe I have a fair shot and I'll give my best," Gukesh tells ESPN.

There's plenty of talent from India, but no chess player from the country came close to reproducing the exploits of five-time world champion Anand. No doubt it's extremely tough, but Gukesh thinks India's youngsters have talent and time on their side. The whole chess scene is on the right track.

"After Vishy sir, I don't think anyone came close to qualifying for the Candidates. Right now, with this whole group of young talents, it's a very fair shot. At least maybe in a few years, we'll be able to do that. I don't know what is lagging in Indian chess. I think we are doing quite well, I mean with all the youngsters coming up. In a few years, we all will be top players and India will be one of the best...I mean it already is but we will become a powerhouse," he says.

Gukesh and Carlsen, teammates

Gukesh spoke to ESPN as he was preparing to play in the inaugural Global Chess League (GCL), a new franchise-based mixed team event involving the best players. Gukesh will play for SG Alpine Warriors (owned by APL Apollo-led SG Sports) and his teammates are legendary Magnus Carlsen, Irina Krush, Elisabeth Paehtz, R Praggnanandhaa and Arjun Erigaisi.

Gukesh is excited to team up with Carlsen, who he played against recently at the Norway event and finished above the former five-time world champion and other distinguished names from the chess world. His team is a perfect blend of India's upcoming talents and world stars.

"With Magnus in the team, it is always a comfortable feeling. You know one board is taken care of and you can just focus on your work. Hopefully, we get some time discussing chess. It will be nice discussing chess with the best player in the world. Having my friends Arjun and Pragg in the team is nice. They are super strong but it will also be a lot of fun with them. Also, Irina (Krush) and Elisabeth (Paehtz) are legends of the game. They have so many achievements so it will be nice to play with them. I would rate our chances quite highly," Gukesh says.

Carlsen took notice of Gukesh's impressive skills when they played at the Tata Steel Chess Tournament earlier this year in Wijk aan Zee, Netherlands. After the match ended in a draw, Gukesh and Carlsen analysed the game together, which Carlsen doesn't do often. "It was interesting to see how he calculated variations compared to myself. It was like, 'That line was impressive. I hadn't seen that at all!', Carlsen told Chess.com in an interview.

"We've played over the board twice. After the first game, I asked him if he could analyse the game. He agreed and we had a wonderful analysis session. We spent around one hour discussing our game and it was quite memorable for me. His understanding of the game, the way he thinks, it was very impressive. Other than that, we have not spent much any time together. But that one experience is already very memorable," Gukesh says.

Gukesh wants to learn a lot of things by spending time with his teammate Carlsen, but one thing he really wants to add to his game is Carlsen's endgame strategies.

"I don't know much about him as a person, of course I read a lot about him but personally I don't know much. As a chess player, I would say a lot of things but probably his endgames. It's his best quality and I would like to add it in my game."

Can GCL have the desired impact in the sport?

Gukesh thinks GCL has the potential to attract more fans to the sport. The idea of mixed team events, with the addition of world class names, can generate a lot of interest.

"It's a very interesting thing for chess. I think the chess community always wanted this kind of league. Hopefully it will attract a lot of fans," he says. 

"In general, there's a lot of interest with the mixed-team format. When you play individually, not much of the work or effort that goes behind can be seen by the fans. Here, especially in rapid, you can see all the stress and the emotions. In my team, with Magnus and all the youngsters, it just sounds very exciting. As a fan, I'm very interested and hopefully it will be the same for other fans," he adds. 

The prospect of teaming up with Carlsen and his Indian friends, playing against the best players and exploring a completely new tournament and format could come with its share of pressure. But at the end of day, Gukesh is only concerned about performing and winning the whole thing.

"I mean, it's a new tournament but still we are going to play chess. Rules are the same. Any tournament I play, I look forward to giving my best and winning it. it's not going to be different this time. And with Magnus, I think the whole team would want to give their best and win the event. Because anything else would not be a success."

Global Chess League matches begin on June 22. Gukesh's Alpine Warriors' start their campaign on June 23 against Balan Alaskan Knights.