Vishnu Prasanna remembers the January five years ago when D. Gukesh set his target of becoming the World Champion. The dream came true on Thursday. Vishnu, the first Indian GM to have coached a World Champion is today a happy man. 

The 35-year-old former Grand Master from Chennai rode on a time machine on Friday morning when asked his reaction about his student, the youngest World Chess Champion, D. Gukesh. 

“I still can visualize those days in 2017 when 11-year-old Gukesh started coming to my home. His home was around 5 kilometers from my residence. There was not a single day that Gukesh had missed training. I was delighted to have noticed his passion for chess even at that age. He was obsessed with chess. But he did not have a stable coach before. He needed the right direction. That might have been the reason Gukesh had the tenacity to grasp the art of mastering the game since that age.”

"He practiced nearly 12 hours a day, maintaining solid concentration. He never allowed me to offer him a solution at first. Rather he drove himself to solve before I offered him the solution while practicing. Even he discussed the technique and strategy and went through psychological training after completing playing sessions,” Vishnu recalled while speaking to Parallel Sports.

The parents of Gukesh were doctors. But they sacrificed their profession, quit private practicing so that they could spend more time for their son and fulfill his needs. Vishnu revealed, "Considering the financial condition they are from a middle-class family. The parents of Gukesh even sold the property for Gukesh. They have a huge contribution to the Gukesh’s achievement."

Vishnu has worked with Gukesh as his coach from 2017 to 2022. When asked about the key strength of player Gukesh, his coach disclosed, “Undoubtedly he has developed maturity and technical soundness. But I feel psychological strength is his key strength. He is always up to the challenge. The points that go against him come up as his experience and the ability to handle the pressure.

Vishnu received messages from Gukesh after he lost the crucial 12th game. In reply, Vishnu advised him to focus on the next game and moves and not to think about winning. The elated Vishnu added, “He called me after winning the title. We did not talk much and shared our emotions over the phone only. I am waiting for his visit after returning from Singapore."

Vishnu has been running a couple of chess schools across Tamil Nadu. One among them, Madras Chess Academy has a unique mission of making the common people aware of the game and trying to convince them to start playing chess.