Gukesh Dommaraju

Gukesh Dommaraju (born 29 May 2006) is an Indian chess grandmaster and the reigning World Chess Champion. A chess prodigy, Gukesh is the youngest undisputed world champion, the youngest player to have surpassed a FIDE rating of 2750, doing so at the age of 17, and the third-youngest to have surpassed 2700 Elo at the age of 16. He earned the title of grandmaster at the age of 12 and is the third-youngest grandmaster in chess history.

Gukesh Dommaraju
18
Gukesh in 2025
CountryIndia
Born (2006-05-29) 29 May 2006 (age 18)
Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
TitleGrandmaster (2019)
World Champion2024–present
Years active2015–present
FIDE rating2777 (February 2025)
Peak rating2794 (October 2024)
RankingNo. 5 (February 2025)
Peak rankingNo. 5 (October 2024)

Gukesh started playing chess at the age of 7. He won the under-12 title at the World Youth Chess Championship in 2018, and multiple gold medals at the 2018 Asian Youth Chess Championship. He became an International Master in March 2017. On 15 January 2019, at the age of 12 years, 7 months, and 17 days, he became the then second-youngest grandmaster in the history of the game, after Sergey Karjakin. He was part of the Indian team that won the silver medal at the 2022 Asian Games in the men's team competition.

Gukesh won the team bronze and the individual gold medal at the 44th Chess Olympiad in 2022. In the September 2023 rating list, Gukesh became the top-rated Indian player, surpassing Viswanathan Anand's 37-year record.[1][2] In the 45th Chess Olympiad in 2024, he won both team and individual gold medals. In 2024, he became the youngest winner of the Candidates Tournament and successfully challenged Ding Liren in the World Chess Championship, becoming the 18th and youngest undisputed world champion, at the age of 18 years and 195 days.[3]

Early life

Birth and background

Gukesh was born on 29 May 2006 in Chennai into a Telugu family from Andhra Pradesh.[4][5][6] His mother, Padmakumari, is a microbiologist, and his father, Rajinikanth, is an ENT surgeon who moved to Chennai to pursue his medical career.[7][8] Gukesh studied at the Velammal Vidyalaya School in Mel Ayanambakkam, Chennai.[9]

Gukesh's family hails from the village of Chenchuraju Kandriga, near Satyavedu in the Tirupati district of Andhra Pradesh.[4][5][6] His grandfather Shankar Raju was born and raised in Chenchuraju Kandriga and worked in the Indian Railways. His son Rajinikanth, later settled in Chennai to pursue a medical career and married Padmakumari there.[5][4] The family owns properties in Chenchuraju Kandriga, where Shankar Raju currently lives.[4][10]

Chess beginnings

Gukesh learned to play chess in 2013, at the age of seven, and eventually began structured one-hour sessions three times a week.[11] He dropped out of school after Class IV, that is, in elementary school, to focus on his chess career. In 2017, his father quit his job to travel with Gukesh to various tournaments; Gukesh was sponsored by his parents' friends at this time,[12] support about which he has often spoken since.[13] His extraordinary talent was recognized institutionally early on, and he became one of the many beneficiaries of the robust Indian chess ecosystem.[14]

Career

Beginnings (2015–2019)

Gukesh won the under-9 section of the Asian School Chess Championships in 2015.[15] He won the World Youth Chess Championship in 2018 in the under-12 category.[16] In the 2018 Asian Youth Chess Championship, he won a record five gold medals in the under-12 events in individual rapid, blitz and classical formats, and the team rapid and blitz competitions.[17] He completed the requirements for the title of International Master in March 2017 at the 34th Cappelle-la-Grande Open.[18]

On 15 January 2019, Gukesh became the then second-youngest grandmaster in the history of the game at the age of 12 years, 7 months, and 17 days, behind Sergey Karjakin.[19][20][a] In June 2021, he won the Julius Baer Challengers Chess Tour, Gelfand Challenge, scoring 14 out of 19 points.[22]

Olympiad gold and Candidates qualification (2022–2023)

In August 2022, Gukesh won the individual gold medal on the first board in the open event at the 44th Chess Olympiad in Chennai with a score of 9 out of 11. He was part of the India-2 team which won the bronze medal in the same tournament.[23][24] In September 2022, he was part of the Indian team that won the silver medal at the 2022 Asian Games in the men's team competition.[25] In the same month, Gukesh reached a FIDE rating of over 2700 for the first time with a rating of 2726, and became the third-youngest to do so after Wei Yi and Alireza Firouzja.[26][27] During the Aimchess Rapid tournament in October 2022, Gukesh became the youngest to beat Magnus Carlsen, the reigning World Chess Champion at that time.[28]

In August 2023, Gukesh became the youngest player ever to reach a rating of 2750.[29] In the Chess World Cup 2023 at Baku, he advanced to the quarterfinals, where he lost to Carlsen.[30] In the September 2023 rating list, Gukesh surpassed Viswanathan Anand as the top-ranked Indian player, marking the first time in 37 years that Anand was not the top-ranked Indian player.[1][2]

In December 2023, Gukesh qualified for the 2024 Candidates Tournament, to be conducted to identify the challenger to Ding Liren for the World Chess Championship.[31] He finished second in the FIDE Circuit behind Fabiano Caruana, and took the qualifying spot reserved for the winner, as Caruana had already qualified through the Chess World Cup.[32] He was the third-youngest player to qualify for a Candidates tournament, behind Bobby Fischer and Carlsen.[33][34]

Olympiad double gold and World Championship (2024–present)

Gukesh (left) playing Alireza Firouzja at the 2024 Candidates Tournament

In January 2024, Gukesh finished in a four-way tie for the first place in the Tata Steel Chess Tournament 2024 with a score of 8½ in 13 rounds. He defeated Anish Giri in the semifinals before losing to Wei Yi in the finals of the tiebreaker.[35]

In April 2024, Gukesh was part of the eight-player Candidates Tournament held in Toronto. He won five games against R Praggnanandhaa and Vidit Gujrathi playing as Black, Firouzja playing as White, and Nijat Abasov playing as both Black and White. With a single loss coming against Firouzja, he finished with nine points from 14 rounds to win the tournament.[36][37] He was the youngest-ever winner of the Candidates tournament.[38][39][40]

In September 2024, Gukesh took part in the Chess Olympiad in Budapest as part of the Indian team. He did not lose a single match and won the individual gold medal with a score of nine across ten rounds. His performance on board one helped India to win their first-ever team gold medal at the Olympiad.[41] As a result of the win, Gukesh entered the top-five in the FIDE rankings for the first time on 1 October 2024.[42][43]

The 2024 World Chess Championship was held in November–December 2024 between Gukesh and Ding Liren. Gukesh scored three wins against two wins for Ding, and nine draws in the 14 classical rounds of the tournament. He won the 14th and final match on 12 December 2024, and as a result, the World Chess Championship by a scoreline of 7½–6½.[44][45] The win made him the youngest undisputed World Chess Champion, with only Ruslan Ponomariov being slightly younger when Ponomariov won the FIDE World Chess Championship 2002, a knockout tournament when the title was split.[46][47] FIDE commented on Gukesh's gameplay as having "near-perfect accuracy", and Ding reacted that it was his best tournament of the year, and that he had no regrets in losing the title to Gukesh.[48]

Playing style

Gukesh plays a reactive game and is notable for his ability to calculate under time pressure, which often leads to complex tactical battles in his games.[49] His mentor Anand describes him as having "incredible calculating abilities".[50] Carlsen regards Gukesh's style of play as "pure counter" and opined that Gukesh makes very few mistakes, which makes him "an extremely dangerous opponent under any circumstances".[51] His style has also borne comparison with former world champion Anatoly Karpov's incremental, anaconda-like gains (so subtle that his opponent has no counter).[52]

Performance record

Legend
Classical international and national individual and team tournaments
Tournaments organized by FIDE (Olympiads, World Championships, World Cups, Grand Swiss and Candidates Tournaments)
Non-classical tournaments (Chess960, rapid and blitz)
Online competitions (Chess.com, Champions Chess Tour and FIDE online tournaments)
Tournament and match results (2022–present)
YearCityTournamentTime ControlWinsLossesDrawsPointsPlace
2022 Kanpur58th Indian Chess ChampionshipClassical6058½/112
DhakaBangladesh Premier League, Bangladesh Police Board 48029/11First (Team)
3rd (Board 4)
Delhi19th Delhi Open8118½/102
ReykjavíkReykjavik Open4146/917
La Roda48th La Roda Open7028/9First
Menorca1st Menorca Open5026/7First
Formentera1st Sunway Formentera Open6048/10First
Sharjah5th Sharjah Masters4146/96
Gijón14th Gijon City Closed7028/9First
Biel/Bienne55th Biel Chess FestivalClassical
Rapid
Blitz
Combined
3
2
5
10
2
2
4
8
2
3
5
10
15
7/14
7½/14
29½
3
4–5
5
3
Chennai44th Chess Olympiad, Open Event, India 2 Board 1Classical8129/113rd (Team)
First (Board 1)
AnkaraTurkish Super League, Turkish Airlines Sports Club Board 1Classical5236½/102nd (Team)
LinaresSpanish League Honour Division, C.A. Solvay Board 24125/7First (Team)
ToledoSpanish Rapid Team Championship, SOLVAY A Board 5Rapid8108/92nd (Team)
Mayrhofen37th European Chess Club Cup, Open section, CSU ASE Superbet Board 4Classical4214½/76th (Team)
6th (Board 1)
OnlineAimchess Rapid PrelimRapid84327/452–4
Aimchess Rapid KO Quarterfinal against Richárd Rapport1211½:2½Loss
KolkataTata Steel India Chess TournamentRapid
Blitz
3
6
3
11
3
1
4½/9
6½/18
5th
10th
OnlineSpeed Chess Championship, Round of 16 against Magnus CarlsenBlitz72307:23Loss
Baku8th Vugar Gashimov MemorialRapid
Blitz
Combined
2
7
9
4
9
13
3
2
5
7/18
8/18
15/36
7–8
7
8th
2023 Wijk aan Zee85th Tata Steel MastersClassical2475½/1312
OnlineAirthings Masters Play-InRapid6037½/9First
Airthings Masters Match Play against Vladimir Kramnik2002:0Win
Airthings Masters Division I5–6
DüsseldorfWR MastersClassical
Rapid TB
2
1
0
2
7
0
5½/9
1/3
2–3
OnlinePro Chess LeagueRapid4225/8
Chessable Masters Play-InRapid5315½/924
Chessable Masters Match Play against Vladimir Kramnik011½:1½Loss
Chessable Masters Division III25–32
BerlinArmageddon Asia and OceaniaBlitzFirst
MenorcaMenorca OpenClassical
Blitz TB
5
1
0
0
4
1
7/9
1½-½
First
MalmöTePe Sigeman & Co tournamentClassical2144/72–4
Sharjah6th Sharjah Masters3066/93rd
Stavanger11th Norway ChessBlitz2612½/910
Classical
Armageddon
2
5
1
1
6
14½/273rd
OnlineJunior Speed Chess Championship, Quarterfinal against Emin OhanyanBlitz245225:6Win
Junior Speed Chess Championship, Semi-final against Pranav V159316½:10½Win
Junior Speed Chess Championship, Final against Raunak Sadhwani169317½:10½Win
DubaiGlobal Chess League, SG Alpine Warriors, Board 2Rapid1722/104th (Team)
ZagrebSuperUnited Rapid & Blitz CroatiaRapid
Blitz
Combined
3
9
12
2
8
10
4
1
5
10/18
9½/18
19½/36
4
6
5th
AnkaraTurkish Super League, Turkish Airlines Sports Club Board 1Classical5057½/10First (Team)
BakuChess World CupClassical
Rapid
4
1
1
0
5
1
5–8
DüsseldorfWorld Rapid Team Championship, Kompetenzakademie Allstars Board 3Rapid8139½/1211th (Team)
4th (Board 1)
KolkataTata Steel India Chess TournamentRapid
Blitz
2
7
2
10
5
1
4½/9
7½/18
6th
8th
OnlineSpeed Chess Championship, Round of 16 against Maxime Vachier-LagraveBlitz72038½:21½Loss
BerlinArmageddon Grand FinaleBlitz5–6
HangzhouAsian Games Men's Team Standard, India Board 1Classical3145/82nd (Team)
DohaQatar Masters Open6216½/98th
DouglasGrand Swiss TournamentClassical2365/1181
London13th London Chess ClassicClassical3245/93rd
ChennaiChennai Grand Masters2054½/7First
SamarkandWorld Rapid ChampionshipRapid6258½/1325
World Blitz ChampionshipBlitz128112½/2138
2024 Wijk aan Zee86th Tata Steel MastersClassical6258½/132
VariousBundesliga West, Düsseldorfer SK Board 13003/3First (Team)
WangelsFreestyle Chess G.O.A.T. ChallengeRapid3403/76th
Classical
Rapid TB
1
1
3
0
2
1
2-4
1½-½
6th
Prague6th Prague MastersClassical2254½/95–7
TorontoCandidates TournamentClassical5189/14First
WarsawSuperbet Rapid & Blitz PolandRapid
Blitz
Combined
2
4
6
4
11
15
3
3
6
7/18
5½/18
12½/36
8–10
10
10
BucharestSuperbet Romania Chess ClassicClassical1085/92–4
ZagrebSuperUnited Rapid & Blitz CroatiaRapid
Blitz
Combined
3
3
6
3
11
14
3
4
7
9/18
5/18
14/36
7
10
7
St. Louis11th Sinquefield CupClassical0094½/95–7
Budapest45th Chess Olympiad, Open Event, India Board 1Classical8029/10First (Team)
First (Board 1)
Vrnjačka Banja39th European Chess Club Cup, Open section, SuperChess Board 1Classical2144/77th (Team)
9th (Board 1)
SingaporeWorld Chess Championship match against Ding LirenClassical3297½/14Win
2025 Wijk aan Zee87th Tata Steel MastersClassical5058½/132
World Chess Championship 2024
RatingMatch gamesPoints
1234567891011121314
 Gukesh Dommaraju (IND)27830½1½½½½½½½10½1
 Ding Liren (CHN)27281½0½½½½½½½01½0

Awards and nominations

Gukesh receiving Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award from president Droupadi Murmu on 17th January 2025
YearAwardCategoryResultRef(s)
2023Asian Chess FederationPlayer of the YearWon[53]
2024Times of India Sports AwardsChess Player of the YearNominated[54]
2025Khel Ratna AwardSpectacular Performance in SportsWon[55]

See also

Notes

References

Achievements
Preceded by World Chess Champion
2024–present
Incumbent