CHENNAI: After D Gukesh suffered a bump in the road with the seventh-round defeat to Alireza Firouzja in the Candidates tournament in Toronto, the Indian GM looked at his first and only loss as a blessing in disguise.
With the defeat to the Frenchman coming just a day before the second rest day, Gukesh picked himself up, but not before a period of lull. Just when he needed it the most, his mother Padma, a microbiologist, provided "emotional support" from afar – Chennai – with a brief phone conversation that proved to be the mood-changer.
"We always encourage him to stay calm and composed. After he lost to Firouzja, he was upset for some time. I spoke to him for about 10 to 15 minutes and encouraged him to play well in the rounds that followed," Padma, who occasionally travels with Gukesh for tournaments, told TOI.
"I told him that it was not the last game and that there were seven rounds remaining. I said: 'You have made a mistake early in the tournament. You may not make mistakes in more important matches. Do not worry, keep moving on and stay confident.' He took what I said in a good way. He usually comes back strongly after a loss and he did just that," Padma added.
While Padma was doing everything in her power to support Gukesh from Chennai, his father Rajinikanth, an ENT specialist, provided him much-needed company in Toronto. Rajinikanth has acted as the backbone of Gukesh's successes, accompanying him for gruelling overseas assignments.
"We are very proud of him. All credit goes to his father, who has done everything for him from the beginning," said Padma.
"Gukesh always works hard. We do not know anything about chess. We just give him the space and he prepares for tournaments by himself. We give him the constant emotional support that he needs. We also provide him with other things that are required."
