Gukesh's Remarkable Ascent: The Youngest World Champion

Mumbai, Dec 12 (NationPress) In a sport where age holds little significance, it is entirely possible for a nine-year-old to dream of becoming a Grandmaster, while a 50-year-old can aim for the top title. Yet, the title of World Champion in classical chess is often seen as a sacred achievement, generally held by players with extensive experience.

From the inception of the World Chess Championship in 1860 to the present day, there have only been 17 champions in the classical format. Notably, Garry Kasparov of Russia became the youngest champion at the age of 22 in 1985.

On Thursday, the 18-year-old Gukesh Dommaraju shattered records to become the 18th World Champion and the youngest ever, defeating China's Ding Liren in a tense 14-game World Chess Championship final held in Singapore. Gukesh seized the opportunity from a seemingly drawn position when his opponent blundered in the final game, clinching the 2024 World Chess Championship title with a score of 7.5-6.5.

This marks a stunning and magical journey for Gukesh, who once witnessed the Indian chess icon Viswanathan Anand lose the World Chess Championship to Magnus Carlsen in their hometown of Chennai in 2013. He made a promise to himself to reclaim the World Chess Championship title for India.

On Thursday, Gukesh realized that dream by triumphing over Ding Liren in the decisive 14th game at the Resort World Sentosa in Singapore. This victory capped an extraordinary year in which he became the youngest winner of the Candidates Tournament, contributed to India's gold medal win at the 2024 Chess Olympiad in Budapest, and also secured a gold medal at the Olympics, finishing with 9 points out of 10 rounds and achieving the highest performance rating of 3056 among all participants.

Born into a Telugu-speaking family in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, on May 29, 2006, Gukesh was introduced to chess by his cousins at the age of seven and quickly surpassed those who taught him the game.

Recognizing his potential, his father, Dr. Rajinikanth, an ENT surgeon, and his mother, Dr. Padma, made the decision to support his chess ambitions. One of his parents began accompanying him as he competed in junior and age-group tournaments, helping him secure World Champion titles in two categories: U-9 in 2015 and U-12 in 2017.

Following initial success as a sub-junior, Gukesh began coaching with Grandmaster Vishnu Prassana. This pivotal choice transformed the student from Velammal Vidyalaya School in Chennai into a champion player. At just 12 years, 7 months, and 17 days, he became the second-youngest Grandmaster in chess history, a record later surpassed by Abhimanyu Mishra, making Gukesh the third-youngest GM ever.

Initially overshadowed by peers like Nihal Sarin and R Praggnanandhaa, Gukesh made headlines by earning an individual gold medal for India during the 2022 Olympiad in Chennai, finishing with an impressive score of 9 out of 11 as India-2 claimed a bronze medal.

Since then, his FIDE ranking has skyrocketed, propelling him into the top five globally, culminating in his status as the youngest World Champion.

Gukesh qualified for the Candidates Tournament, the pathway to the World Championship final, through a stunning victory in the Chennai Grandmaster Tournament, managing to secure his spot from a seemingly hopeless position.

Known for his exceptional positional play and a preference for not overly relying on openings, Gukesh exhibits an uncanny ability to calculate moves and seeks to gain an edge over his opponents by identifying the right move in any given position.

Despite facing challenges in the 2024 World Chess Championship against Ding Liren, where Gukesh missed several opportunities and endured significant resistance from the reigning Chinese champion, he ultimately demonstrated that dreams can become reality with hard work and seizing opportunities.

Gukesh has shown that with talent and determination, any dream can be achieved. Generally reserved, he is wholly dedicated to chess, having no other interests outside of the game. Following his championship victory, he expressed his ambition to become a great player akin to Magnus Carlsen, the five-time World Champion and the highest-rated player in chess history.