Indian chess grandmaster D Gukesh, who made headlines as the world’s youngest chess World Champion at 18, has gained global recognition. Last December, Gukesh triumphed over China’s Ding Liren in a thrilling, three-week-long battle, a match that tested the players’ psychological and physical endurance. This victory made Gukesh the youngest World Chess Champion, surpassing the legendary Garry Kasparov’s previous record.
Despite his success and growing fame, Gukesh remains a reserved figure and doesn’t engage much on social media, a trait which is contrary to the common trend seen among youngsters today.Recently, American-Canadian online streamer Alexandra Botez met Gukesh at an event and shared a photo of their interaction on social media.
The caption she included, “Why does it look like we took D Gukesh hostage?” sparked widespread attention.The image quickly went viral, garnering over 1 million views within just 10 hours of being posted on platform X (formerly known as Twitter), with users sharing amusing comments and reactions.
Why does it look like we took @DGukesh hostage pic.twitter.com/Bc35fj8eZV
— Alexandra Botez (@alexandrabotez) February 15, 2025
One user commented, “No, he is obviously thinking about his next championship already.” Another wrote, “Because he looks too calm for the chaos around him.”
Interestingly, some users also pointed out that Alexandra had previously posted a similar image with chess great Viswanathan Anand, using the same caption.
Reminded me about this banger. 😂https://t.co/nrMjH1uORA
— thaari maia (@septicskepticz) February 16, 2025
Last December, Gukesh became the youngest world champion by the margin of over four years when he defeated Ding in the final and broke down in tears. Chess great Garry Kasparov, who won his first world title in 1985 at the age of 22, formerly held the record. In addition, the 18-year-old is only the second Indian player to win the title, after Viswanathan “Vishy” Anand, a five-time world champion who was also raised in Chennai.
