I wouldn't have been close to what I am now if it wasn't for Vishy sir: Gukesh
Chennai (PTI): Indian chess prodigy D Gukesh on Thursday thanked the legendary Viswanathan Anand for playing a huge role in shaping his career, saying "I wouldn't have been close to what I am now if it wasn't for him".
The 17-year-old Grandmaster scripted history on Monday by winning the Candidates Chess Tournament in Toronto to become the youngest ever challenger to the world title, beating a record created by the legendary Garry Kasparov 40 years ago.
The triumph paved the way for Gukesh's clash against reigning world champion Ding Liren of China later this year.
"Vishy sir has been a huge inspiration for me and I have heavily benefitted from his academy. I am truly grateful to him and wouldn't have been close to what I am now if it wasn't for him," Gukesh said at a press conference a few hours after his arrival here to a rousing reception from fans and schoolmates.
Gukesh has trained at the Westbridge-Anand Chess Academy which came into existence in 2020. Incidentally, before Gukesh, Anand was the only Indian to have won the Candidates, the last time being 2014.
Speaking about his much-anticipated clash against Liren, Gukesh said, "The biggest challenge against Ding would be how I prepare myself and being in the right state of mind since it will be a big match.
"There are a lot of expectations and a lot at stake. I have full belief in myself and will be going in with the same strategy. Hopefully, it will work out well."
The history-making teen was swamped by fans as he returned to an enthusiastic reception early this morning.
Hundreds of students from the Velammal Vidyalaya, the school where Gukesh studies, lined up at the airport at least one hour before his flight landed to greet him.
"I am happy to see what the victory meant to the country. I was delighted to see young kids full of energy and rooting for me the moment I landed in Chennai. It's truly special and means a lot to me," he said.
His mother Padma, who is a microbiologist, was at the airport to receive him. His father Rajinikanth had travelled with Gukesh to Toronto.
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Five arrested for killing youth who threatened people by making reels
New Delhi (PTI): Five people were arrested here for allegedly killing a man who used to threaten people and record the video of the act for his Instagram posts, police said on Saturday.
Ashok alias Thanda Pani, 17, was found with multiple injuries near his residence in East Delhi's Trilokpuri area on April 17. He was beaten up by a group of people with rods and sticks, police said.
According to Deputy Commissioner of Police (East) Apporva Gupta, the accused have been identified as Anuj alias Annu (34), Pawan alias Vikas (34), Abhinav Raj alias Annu Pudi (27), Sandeep Ghawari (35), and Mukesh Kumar (35).
They were arrested from from Trilokpuri on Friday.
Anuj used to work in a private company, Pawan is a taxi driver, Abhinav Raj is a part-time physiotherapist, Sandeep Ghawari is a property dealer and Mukesh Kumar works at a courier company, Gupta said.
According to a senior police officer, Thanda Pani used to make reels, where he would threaten people and record the act to influence his friends and exercise dominance in the locality.
He would also put those videos on his Instagram account, which he ran with the name 'Thana Pani', he said.
He had threatened and forced one of the accused to kneel down in front of people. He had also recorded a video of the act and uploaded it on Instagram.
The officer said that the person whose video was made caught Ashok alone in the area that day and allegedly abducted him in a car.
They beaten him up with sticks and rod and then asked a rickshaw puller to take him to the LBS Hospital where he was declared brought dead.
Police said Ashok was previously allegedly involved in 20 cases of petty crimes in the area.
