How an Indian teenager became the youngest world chess champion

Indian teenager Gukesh Donmaraju shocked the chess world on Thursday by becoming the youngest world champion at just 18 years old.

The Chennai-born prodigy defeated defending champion Ding Liren of China in a dramatic match in Singapore as a challenger. The FIDE World Chess Championship has a prize purse of $2.5 million (£1.96 million).

It was the pinnacle of his career so far, and the greatest moment in a long string of accomplishments.

Gukesh became a grandmaster at the age of 12 years and 7 months, and he openly talked about the fact that he had dreamed of becoming a world champion ever since then.

In fact, he said he had harbored such ambitions since he was seven years old, watching the world title match between Viswanathan Anand and Magnus Carlsen in 2013.

As he confessed in a press conference after his dramatic win against Ding, he didn’t expect it to happen so quickly.

“Throughout the match, I had several chances to win and there were many matches where I was in a good position. But when I got close, I got nervous and couldn’t finish him off,” Gukesh told the BBC after his win. spoke.

“…and all of a sudden…it was such a sudden change that I couldn’t process all the new information right away.”

Gukes is the 18th world champion since Wilhelm Steinitz won what is considered the first title match in 1886.

Born in May 2006, Gukesh is also the youngest player so far to reach this pinnacle.

He easily broke the record held by Garry Kasparov (born April 1963), who was 22 years old when he defeated Anatoly Karpov to win the title in Moscow in November 1985.

After 13 games, the teams are tied with two wins each. Game 14 looked like it would be a draw.

In that case, there would be a tie-break with progressively shorter control periods.

However, Ding failed on the 55th move and Gukesh took advantage of that mistake to win the title.

Over the past three years, the young player has achieved a series of extraordinary achievements, culminating in this victory.

Gukesh achieved his best performance in the last two Olympics, winning an individual gold medal. He led India to a team bronze medal at the 2022 Chennai Games and a gold medal at the 2024 Budapest Games.

He also won Candidate, a tournament where he earned the right to challenge Ding Liren.

In his early teens, Gukesh was eliminated as a possible challenger by his mentor, former world champion Viswanathan Anand (as Gukesh calls him, “Lord Vichy”). He thought Gukesh simply lacked experience.

In fact, Gukesh suffered an obviously crushing defeat in the mid-stages, but then pulled himself together and won the next round, ultimately clinching the event.

In the title match, Gukesh lost the first game, but won the third game to tie the score, took the lead in the 11th game, and Ding won the 12th game to tie the score.

Round 14 was obviously nerve-wracking as the title and prize money were at stake, but the teenager managed his nerves.

It is clear that Gukesh is an extraordinary talent, but this is not a romantic story of the Lone Ranger who will shock the world. Chennai GM is at the apex of a robust chess ecosystem that is one of the best, perhaps one of the best, in the world.

Gukesh also has strong support from his parents, the Indian chess organization, and his school.

There are over 85 grandmasters in India, many of whom are not yet of driving age.

The Indian team has enjoyed success recently, winning the open gold medal (topped by Gukesh) and the women’s gold medal at the last Olympics in Budapest.

With a huge number of Indians participating in officially sanctioned tournaments, these grandmasters sit at the top of the pyramid with over 30,000 rated players.

Gukesh has been a professional athlete since he was around 10 years old. He is coached by Viswanathan Anand, a five-time world champion himself.

He is sponsored by Westbridge Capital, which supports Anand’s premier coaching center, Westbridge Anand Chess Academy.

Both Gukesh’s parents are doctors, his father Rajinikanth is a surgeon and his mother Padma is a microbiologist. Both put their careers on hold to support their sons.

“At first, I just watched my family play chess at home as a hobby, just like any other board game.But then I got interested in chess and happened to attend a summer chess camp at my school. … One of my coaches noticed that I had that talent,” Gukesh told the BBC.

Chess becomes an expensive game when a child has to travel abroad for several months each year, so his parents not only put their own income into supporting their son, but also crowdfund his friends until Gukesh’s career takes off. We asked for funding assistance.

Importantly, he also received support from his school, Velammal Vidyalaya, in Mogapea, which allowed him to take time off.

Gukesh has other interests besides chess, including meditation, swimming, and playing tennis.

His goal is simple. He wants to become the world’s best chess player, replacing current number one Magnus Carlsen.

He also hopes for a “very long career at the top”. According to him, this title is just a step in his life’s journey, although it is very important.