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‘Walks like Rajinikanth’: children mob Gukesh as he arrives for FIDE Grand Swiss Round 4, video goes viral

As he made his way to the Silk Road Expo venue, a crowd of excited children mobbed D Gukesh and the teenager happily posed for selfies and signed autographs.

The viral clip shows Gukesh arriving at the venue when his fans ran towards him to take selfies and autographs (Image source: @thewhatup/Instagram)

D Gukesh has been one of the most talked-about names in world chess ever since he defeated China’s Ding Liren last year to become the youngest world champion in history. He received a hero’s welcome in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, on Sunday, ahead of the fourth round of the ongoing FIDE Grand Swiss tournament.

As he made his way to the Silk Road Expo venue, a crowd of excited children mobbed him, and the teenager happily posed for selfies and signed autographs. The viral clip shows Gukesh arriving at the venue when his fans ran towards him.

“The World Champion @DGukesh mobbed by kids as he enters the playing hall for Round 4 of FIDE Grand Swiss!” @ChessBaseIndia wrote on X.

Watch the viral video here:

The World Champion @DGukesh mobbed by kids as he enters the playing hall for Round 4 of FIDE Grand Swiss!

Video: @ram_abhyudaya #chess #chessbaseindia #gukesh pic.twitter.com/v6vFELHSty

— ChessBase India (@ChessbaseIndia) September 7, 2025

The video has got over three lakh views and triggered a wave of reactions. “Wouldn’t be surprised if he has a bigger global fanbase than any Indian cricketer!” an X user wrote. “I couldn’t help notice that he walks like Rajinikanth,” another user commented.

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“He’s a very humble and wise personality, that’s why everyone loves him, keep up the good work i.e. WINNING,” a third user reacted.

Also Read | ‘I laughed for 10 minutes’: D Gukesh reacts to Magnus Carlsen’s viral table slam memes and picks his favourite

Meanwhile, Divya Deshmukh registered her first win of the event, defeating Egyptian grandmaster Amin Bassem in 46 moves. Gukesh, meanwhile, faced Arjun Erigaisi. Playing with white pieces, Gukesh opted for a Catalan Opening, but the two young stars eventually settled for a draw. Erigaisi, notably, has recently broken into the elite 2800-rating club. Top seed R Praggnanandhaa was held to a draw by Abhimanyu Mishra of the United States, the world’s youngest-ever grandmaster.