Gukesh Dommaraju

Biography (2006)

Gukesh Dommaraju, the youngest world chess champion, hails from Chennai, a city renowned asa home of the first Indian world champion, Viswanathan Anand. Coming from a non-chess family—his mother is a microbiologist and his father an ENT surgeon—Gukesh began playing chess at the age of seven. With structured lessons, his talent quickly shone through. Recognizing Gukesh’s extraordinary potential, his family made a life-changing decision: Gukesh quit school to focus on his chess career, and his father left his job to travel with him. By 12 years old, Gukesh became an International Master, won the World Under-12 Championship, and claimed a record five gold medals in the under-12 events of the Asian Youth Chess Championship.In 2019, at the age of 12 years, 7 months, and 17 days, Gukesh became a grandmaster, making him the second-youngest in history at that time. The term "youngest" has since been synonymous with his career milestones. In 2023, he became the youngest player to cross a FIDE rating of 2750,later becoming the youngest challenger and then the youngest world champion.Having qualified from the newly established FIDE Circuit, Gukesh entered the eight-player Candidates Tournament 2024 as the #6 by rating. He displayed great composure and mental stability, finishing in clear first place with 9 out of 14 points. This victory earned him the right to challenge Ding Liren for the World Chess Championship at the end of 2024. In September, Gukesh further solidified his status by leading the Indian team to gold at the 45th Chess Olympiad and winning an individual gold medal with a score of 9 out of 10.Gukesh's remarkable calculating skills, ability to make minimal mistakes, and strong nerves played a crucial role in the world championship match in Singapore. After losing the first game, he bounced back in game three and managed to win the back-and-forth match by securing victory in the final game. This triumph made him the youngest undisputed world chess champion at the age of 18.

Notable game

This is Game 11 of the 2024 World Championship, one of the pivotal games of the match

Play like a champion!

Black to move.

Examine this position and decide on your next move. To see the correct answer, click the button below.

Want chess advice?

# 1 / 4

Chess is becoming more of a sport. Everyone has the same resources and you have to find that little edge that will help you stand out.

The stronger the challenge, the more effort you need to put in, the sweeter the outcome is.

My mother still says: "I'll be very happy to hear that you are a great chess player, but I would be happier to hear that you are an even greater person." That has been something that I really value a lot.

Keep enjoying chess. You are going to achieve your dream one day.

On Dommaraju

He’s not a fluke, not a one and done. We are looking at a future all-time great who will be around for a long time to come.

Gukesh was well-prepared and the player who played the best won the match. His victory caps a phenomenal year for India. Combined with Olympiad dominance, chess has returned to its cradle and the era of "Vishy's children" is truly upon us!

His concentration and focus are outstanding. His dedication, good nerves, calmness.

His journey to the world title has been so fast that he missed a lot of the other titles. He hasn't had a chance to play enough tournaments yet, or he's played one edition at most. In a way, he's saying, 'I've got a lot left to accomplish.' And it’s a fantastic attitude to have.