With his hair blanketed by jubilant petals flung into the air, he continued, “I am happy to be here, and I can see the support and what it means to India.” After defeating China’s Ding Liren in a thrilling final match in Singapore last week, Gukesh unexpectedly rose to fame in a country where cricket is the only sport that sports enthusiasts are typically interested in. Though on a smaller scale, the scenes in Chennai, south India, were reminiscent of the nation’s cricket stars’ victorious return home with the T20 World Cup trophy this year.Young supporters, many from Gukesh’s school, carried pictures and signs of their new hero, whose triumph has bolstered aspirations to play chess professionally. After 14 games and almost three weeks of fierce combat against the 32-year-old Ding, Gukesh broke down in tears as he triumphed in Singapore. He told fans, “You guys are amazing,” before he and his father were quickly led into a car covered in posters of him. “I got so much energy from you.” Gukesh’s father, a physician, has supported his son during a wild journey that began when he became the youngest grandmaster in India at the age of 12 years, 7 months, and 17 days, making him one of the youngest in the game’s history. He secured his spot in the world championship by being the youngest-ever victor of the coveted Candidates Tournament in April. Gukesh broke a record that was held by Garry Kasparov of Russia.  who defeated Ding, 32, at the last hurdle of his title defense to win the title at the age of 22. After Chennai-born Viswanathan Anand, a five-time world champion, he is the second Indian to win the title. The Tamil Nadu government will honor Gukesh, who is scheduled to meet with Prime Minister Narendra Modi later this month in the nation’s capital, New Delhi. “His victory has not only etched his name in the annals of chess history but has also inspired millions of young minds to dream big and pursue excellence,” Modi said in a statement, praising his “remarkable accomplishment.”