Indian teenager Gukesh Dommaraju stunned the chess world on Thursday by becoming the youngest-ever world champion at just 18 years old.
The Chennai-born prodigy defeated defending champion Ding Liren of China in a tense match held in Singapore, where Gukesh entered as the challenger. The FIDE World Chess Championship boasts a $2.5 million (£1.96m) prize fund, marking a crowning achievement in Gukesh’s already illustrious career.
Gukesh, who became a grandmaster at the age of 12 years and seven months, has always been clear about his ambitions to become a world champion. His dream began at the age of seven, inspired by witnessing the 2013 World Title match between Viswanathan Anand and Magnus Carlsen. However, as Gukesh admitted in the post-match press conference, he never expected to achieve this feat so early in his career.
Gukesh is the 18th world champion since Wilhelm Steinitz won the inaugural title in 1886. Born in May 2006, he broke Garry Kasparov’s long-standing record as the youngest world champion. Kasparov, born in April 1963, was 22 when he defeated Anatoly Karpov in 1985.
The 14-game match was evenly contested, with both players securing two wins before the final game. The decisive 14th game appeared destined for a draw until Ding Liren blundered on move 55, giving Gukesh the opportunity to capitalize and claim the championship.
This triumph is the culmination of Gukesh’s remarkable rise over the past three years. He won individual gold for best performance in the last two Chess Olympiads, leading India to a team bronze in Chennai (2022) and a team gold in Budapest (2024). His victory in the Candidates Tournament earlier this year earned him the right to challenge Ding.
Despite being mentored by former world champion Viswanathan Anand—whom Gukesh fondly calls “Vishy Sir”—Anand initially doubted his protégé’s readiness due to limited experience. However, Gukesh overcame setbacks, including a critical loss in the Candidates, showing resilience to win the event. In the world championship, he bounced back from a loss in Game 1, equalized in Game 3, took the lead in Game 11, and held his nerve in the decisive Game 14.
Gukesh’s victory reflects India’s thriving chess ecosystem, considered among the best globally. India has over 85 grandmasters, many of them teenagers, and more than 30,000 rated players competing in sanctioned tournaments. Gukesh, a product of this system, has received strong support from his parents, school, and sponsors. His parents, both doctors—father Rajinikanth, a surgeon, and mother Padma, a microbiologist—put their careers on hold to fund his ambitions, even turning to crowdfunding to support his early international tournaments.
Gukesh’s school, Velammal Vidyalaya in Mogappair, played a key role by allowing him flexibility to pursue chess. His mentor, Viswanathan Anand, supports him through the Westbridge Anand Chess Academy, sponsored by Westbridge Capital.
Outside of chess, Gukesh enjoys meditation, swimming, and tennis. His goals remain clear: to become the world’s best player, surpassing Magnus Carlsen, and to maintain a long and successful career at the top. For Gukesh, winning the title is just a critical step in his larger journey toward chess greatness.
