India, May 26 -- As Gukesh D sat down for his social media commitments with Norway Chess ahead of the tournament, he was asked to read out from a little placard looking into the camera as a promo for the broadcasters.

"Hi, I'm Gukesh. I'm the world No. 3..."

He paused, glanced down at the placard and, wearing a slightly puzzled look, tried piecing together the rest of the script. Someone from among the handful watching on whispered: "you're the world champion!"

"Can I say that?" Gukesh inquired.

"Of course," came the reply.

The script was tweaked, and "world No.3" was mentally erased.

It's great to become the youngest world chess champion in history at 18. But it's far from easy. The title brings an unprecedented level of attention ...