Grandmaster Gukesh Dommaraju has risen to the pinnacle of chess mastery with unshakeable focus, strategy, and tact. The 18-year-old Indian prodigy scripted history as the youngest World Chess Champion, defeating China's Dig Liren on December 12, 2024, in Singapore. The teenager's excitement was palpable as he broke down into tears of joy soon after the match.
With this win, Gukesh reclaimed India's world championship title which was taken away in 2013 from Vishwanathan Anand by Magnus Carlson. He also shattered the record for the youngest undefeated world champion held by Garry Kasparov, who was 22 when he dethroned Anatoly Karpov in 1985.
Addressing the press after the match, Gukesh expressed, “When I was watching the match in 2013, I was in the stands and looking inside the glass box. I thought it’d be so cool to be inside one day. And then when Magnus won, I thought I really want to be the one to bring back the title to India."
Who Is Gukesh D?
Gukesh D has taken the chess world by storm with his meteoric rise. The son of an ENT surgeon father and a microbiologist mother, his chess talent was first identified by his coach Bhaskar, who helped him achieve a FIDE rating within six months of learning the game.
In January 2019, at just 12 years, 7 months, and 17 days, Gukesh became the second-youngest grandmaster in chess history, narrowly missing Sergey Karjakin’s record by 17 days. He achieved his third grandmaster norm at the 17th Delhi International Chess Grandmaster Open.
In 2022, Gukesh crossed the 2700 Elo rating mark, becoming the third-youngest player to do so. A defining moment in his career came in September 2023 when he reached 2750 Elo points, making him the youngest player ever to achieve this feat. He also surpassed Indian legend Viswanathan Anand to become the top-ranked Indian player, ending Anand’s 37-year reign.
Who is Ding Liren?
Ding Liren became China’s first men’s world chess champion in 2023 by defeating Ian Nepomniachtchi in a dramatic tiebreak in Kazakhstan. Renowned for his solid and precise playing style, Ding excels at creating small advantages from quiet openings.
The 32-year-old, originally from Zhejiang province, is the highest-rated Chinese chess player in history. A graduate of Peking University Law School, Ding once went unbeaten in 100 consecutive classical games, a record that stood until Magnus Carlsen surpassed it in 2019. Despite his achievements, Ding has slipped in the world rankings and currently sits at 23rd with a FIDE rating of 2728, making him the lowest-ranked world champion of the Elo era.
/shethepeople/media/agency_attachments/2024/11/11/2024-11-11t082606806z-shethepeople-black-logo-2000-x-2000-px-1.png){kind=logo}
/shethepeople/media/member_avatars/4FGyuvwBciC6LndcgpY2.jpeg )
Follow Us/shethepeople/media/media_files/2024/12/13/85Et2prXqsGASeZ0IV9Z.png)