5 Things to Know About India's Chess Pride, Gukesh Dommaraju He is not only inspired by Dhoni but also relies on a coach from Dhoni's cricketing era to help him prepare mentally.
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Indian athletes continue to shine in every sport, and chess is no exception. Carrying forward the legacy of Viswanathan Anand, the first Indian to win the World Chess Championship title in 2000, 18-year-old Gukesh Dommaraju has become a chess sensation.
On Thursday, he made history by becoming the youngest-ever World Chess Champion after defeating defending champion Ding Liren of China in the dramatic final of the 2024 World Chess Championship in Singapore.
During the 2023 Chess World Cup, he reached the quarterfinals, defeating top players but losing to Magnus Carlsen. However, in 2024, Gukesh not only won the championship but also broke several records. With a score of 7.5-6.5, he broke Garry Kasparov's record of being the youngest chess champion at 22. Gukesh is now India's top-ranked player, breaking a 37-year streak in chess.
Here are five things to know about the Indian chess grandmaster:
Developing interest
Born to an ENT surgeon father and a microbiologist mother on May 29, 2006 in Chennai, Gukesh started learning chess at the age of seven. In 2013, he began playing chess earnestly with one-hour sessions three times a week. His talent was quickly recognized by his teacher, leading him to participate in tournaments. He studied at Velammal Vidyalaya in Chennai.
Rise and shine in chess
His chess journey gained momentum when he won the Under-9 section of the Asian School Chess Championships in 2015. In 2018, he triumphed in the World Youth Chess Championships (Under-12 category) and secured five gold medals at the Asian Youth Chess Championships across rapid, blitz, and classical formats. Gukesh became an International Master in 2017. By January 2019, at the age of 12 years, seven months, and 17 days, he became the second-youngest Grandmaster in history at the time.
He continued to achieve remarkable milestones. In September 2022, he surpassed a 2700 FIDE (world chess federation) rating, becoming the third-youngest player to do so. A month later, he became the youngest player to defeat Magnus Carlsen since Carlsen became World Champion.
"When Magnus won, I thought, I really want to be the one to bring back the title to India," Gukesh shared after his historic victory.
Parent sacrifice and support
For Gukesh and his parents, it was not an easy journey. In 2017-18, his father, Rajinikanth, quit his well-paying job to travel with Gukesh and support his dream of achieving the final GM norm. Meanwhile, his mother, Padma Kumari, became the sole breadwinner, running the household.
While the family wasn't well off, Gukesh didn't realize it at that time. In 2017 and 2018, due to the family running low on finances, his parents' friends sponsored Gukesh. "My parents had to make many lifestyle changes just for me to play tournaments. They made the most sacrifices," he said.
Becoming world champion
In September 2024, Gukesh delivered a stellar performance at the Chess Olympiad in Budapest. Playing on board one, he scored 9/10 with wins against top grandmasters, achieving the tournament's highest performance rating of 3056. His efforts secured India's first-ever team gold medal and earned him an individual gold medal. By winning the 2024 World Chess Championship, Gukesh has scripted a new chapter in history.
"This dream I had more than 10 years ago has been the single most important thing in my life so far. Doing this for myself, my loved ones, and my country is… there's nothing better than this," he said.
Dhoni, his childhood idol
Gukesh also acknowledged that MS Dhoni, a former captain of the Indian cricket team, is his childhood idol. He is not only inspired by Dhoni but also relies on a coach Paddy Upton from Dhoni's cricketing era to help him prepare mentally.
Upton played a key role in India's 2011 Cricket World Cup triumph under Dhoni and guided the men's hockey team to a bronze at Paris 2024. Over six months, Upton worked on Gukesh's mental resilience, pressure management, and recovery strategies.
"We've discussed in minute detail about both cases: when he's making his decisions about the moves to make and at the same time, how he's managing himself and his mind while his opponent is busy planning his move," said Upton in media.
Praise from Magnus Carlsen
The Norwegian chess grandmaster Magnus Carlsen once described Gukesh as "a wonderful guy, very quiet, very humble, and with a great curiosity about everything related to chess." The world number one lauded D Gukesh for making the most of his chances to be crowned the youngest-ever world chess champion.
"It's a really good thing for him, he has the title now for two years, winning this championship is extremely motivating so there is a very good chance that he is going to go for a great run of results now and probably become the number two player now and may be number one in the not so distant future," Carlsen noted analysing the match.
Reflecting on his parents' sacrifices post achieving the latest feat, Gukesh said, "I have been dreaming about this moment since I started my chess journey at about seven, but the dream was probably bigger for them than it was for me."
