How the Indian teenager grew to become the youngest world chess champion

Indian teenager Gukesh Dommaraju shocked the chess world on Thursday when he grew to become the youngest world champion on the age of simply 18.

The Chennai-born prodigy defeated the defending champion, China’s Ding Liren, in a dramatic match staged in Singapore by which he had entered as a challenger. The FIDE World Chess Championship incorporates a prize pool of $2.5m (£1.96m).

It marked the top of his profession, an important second in a protracted sequence of successes.

Gukesh grew to become a Grandmaster on the age of 12 years and 7 months and even then he was open about the truth that he dreamed of turning into the world champion.

In reality, he stated he has harbored such ambitions since he was seven years previous, when he was a spectator at a world title match between Viswanathan Anand and Magnus Carlsen in 2013.

As he confessed within the press convention after the dramatic victory in opposition to Ding, he did not assume it could occur so quickly.

Gukesh is the 18th world champion since Wilhelm Steinitz gained what is taken into account the primary title struggle again in 1886.

Born in May 2006, Gukesh can be, by far, the youngest participant to have scaled this peak.

He comfortably improved on the earlier document held by Garry Kasparov (born April 1963) who was 22 when he gained the title in Moscow in November 1985 by beating Anatoly Karpov.

The 14-game match was drawn with two wins every after 13 video games. It appeared just like the 14th match was destined for a draw.

In that case, there can be tiebreakers performed with progressively shorter time controls.

But Ding made a mistake on transfer 55 and Gukesh capitalized on the error to clinch the title.

Over the final three years the younger participant has achieved a sequence of extraordinary outcomes, culminating on this victory.

Gukesh gained the person gold medal for finest efficiency within the final two Olympics. He led India to a crew bronze in Chennai in 2022 and a gold medal in 2024 in Budapest.

He additionally gained the Candidates, the match that earned him the correct to problem Ding Liren.

In his early teenage years, Gukesh was dominated out as a possible challenger by his mentor, former world champion Viswanathan Anand, or “Vishy Sir” as Gukesh calls him. He thought Gukesh merely did not have sufficient expertise.

Indeed, Gukesh suffered a seemingly catastrophic defeat within the center spherical, however then recovered to win within the subsequent spherical and in the end gained the occasion.

In the title match Gukesh misplaced the primary sport and tied with a win in sport three, then took the lead in sport eleven and Ding tied with a win in sport 12.

Game 14 was clearly excessive pressure with the title and $2.5 million (£1.98 million) in prize cash on the road, however the teenager managed his nerves.

Gukesh is clearly a rare expertise, however this isn’t the romantic story of a lone ranger who surprises the world. The GM from Chennai is on the pinnacle of a sturdy chess ecosystem, which is likely one of the finest, maybe the very best, on the planet.

Gukesh was additionally strongly supported by his dad and mom, the chess institution in India and his college.

India has over 85 grandmasters, a lot of whom will not be but sufficiently old to steer.

Indian groups have executed so lately, successful each the Open Gold (with Gukesh main the best way) and the ladies’s gold on the final Olympics in Budapest.

These grandmasters are on the tip of a pyramid with over 30,000 rated gamers, as a result of an enormous variety of Indians play formally sanctioned tournaments.

Gukesh has been an expert participant since he was round 10 years previous. He is mentored by Viswanathan Anand, himself a five-time world champion.

It is sponsored by Westbridge Capital, which helps the Westbridge Anand Chess Academy, a serious teaching heart run by Anand.

Gukesh’s dad and mom are each medical doctors, his father Rajinikanth is a surgeon and mom Padma is a microbiologist. Both put their careers on maintain to push their son.

Chess turns into an costly sport when a baby has to journey overseas for a number of months a 12 months, so his dad and mom not solely make investments their very own earnings to help their son, however have additionally requested mates to assist fund Gukesh’s profession till it took off.

Importantly, he additionally obtained help from his college, Velammal Vidyalaya in Mogappair, which allowed him to take go away.

Gukesh additionally has pursuits exterior of chess: he meditates, swims and performs tennis.

His said objectives are easy: he needs to be the very best chess participant on the planet, supplanting the present primary, Magnus Carlsen.

He additionally needs to have a “lengthy profession on the prime”. According to him, the title is only one step, albeit an important one, in that life journey.