Gukesh Dommaraju scripts history: All you need to know about the youngest chess world champion

Gukesh became the youngest ever to win the World Chess Championship after beating Ding Liren of China. He is also only the second Indian after the great Vishwanathan Anand to win the elusive crown.

India’s Gukesh Dommaraju (better known as D Gukesh) won the 2024 World Chess Championship on Thursday (Dec 12) after beating China’s Ding Liren. He became the second Indian to win the coveted title after the great Viswanathan Anand after winning the fourteenth game of the championship final. After both teams reached the 14th round with 6.5 points apiece, the Chinese made a costly error that led to the decisive victory. lead the Gukesh to an amazing victory on the 58th move.

Who is D Gukesh?

Gukesh, who was born into a Telugu household in Chennai in May 2006, began playing chess at the age of seven. in the age of eight, he took first place in the Asian School Chess Championships' Under-9 division in 2015, and in the Under-12 division in the World Youth Chess Championships in 2018.

2018 saw him win five gold medals in the Asian Youth Championship in the Under-12 Individual Classic Format, Under-12 Team Rapid and Blitz, and Under-12 Individual Rapid and Blitz events.

In January 2019, Gukesh, then 12 years and 7 months old, became the second-youngest grandmaster in history. Later, his countryman Abhimanyu Mishra shattered his record.

In September, he helped India clinch a first-ever Chess Olympiad gold, teaming up with the likes of Arjun Erigaisi, Pentala Harikrishna, R Praggnanandhaa and Vidit Gujrathi.

Before defeating Liren today, Gukesh had also defeated Garry Kasparov from Russia. Additionally, he is also the second Indian to win this global title after the legendary Viswanath Anand. Anand has been a five-time world champion and had last won the crown in 2013.

However, 2023 was the year when Gukesh announced himself to the world. In August, he became the youngest player ever to reach a rating of 2750.

About D Gukesh family

His father, Dr. Rajinikanth, is an ENT surgeon, while his mother, Dr. Padma, is a microbiologist. The teenage prodigy started his chess journey at the tender age of seven, and his rise has been astronomical ever since.