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Gukesh Dommaraju

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

In this Telugu name, the surname is Dommaraju.
Gukesh Dommaraju
18
Gukesh in 2024
CountryIndia
Born (2006-05-29) 29 May 2006 (age 18)
Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
TitleGrandmaster (2019)
World Champion2024–present
Years active2015–present
FIDE rating2783 (December 2024)
Peak rating2794 (October 2024)
RankingNo. 5 (December 2024)
Peak rankingNo. 5 (October 2024)

Gukesh Dommaraju (born 29 May 2006), also known as Gukesh D, is an Indian chess grandmaster and the reigning World Chess Champion. A chess prodigy, Gukesh is the youngest undisputed world champion, the youngest player to have surpassed a FIDE rating of 2750, doing so at the age of 17, and the third-youngest to have surpassed 2700 Elo at the age of 16. He earned the title of grandmaster at the age of 12 and is the third-youngest grandmaster in chess history.

Gukesh started playing chess at the age of 7. He won the under-12 title at the World Youth Chess Championship in 2018, and multiple gold medals at the 2018 Asian Youth Chess Championship. He completed the requirements for the title of International Master in March 2017. On 15 January 2019, at the age of 12 years, 7 months, and 17 days, he became the then second-youngest grandmaster in the history of the game, after Sergey Karjakin. He was part of the Indian team that won the silver medal at the 2022 Asian Games in the men's team competition.

Gukesh won the team bronze and the individual gold medal at the 44th Chess Olympiad in 2022. In the September 2023 rating list, Gukesh became the top-rated Indian player, surpassing Viswanathan Anand, 37-year record.[1][2] In the 45th Chess Olympiad in 2024, he won both team and individual gold medals. He also won the 2024 Candidates Tournament conducted to identify the challenger to Ding Liren for the World Chess Championship, its youngest-ever winner. At the World Chess Championship 2024, he won the title by defeating Ding, becoming the 18th and youngest undisputed world champion, at the age of 18 years and 195 days.[3]

Early life

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Birth and background

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Gukesh was born on 29 May 2006 in Chennai into a Telugu family from Andhra Pradesh.[4][5][6] His mother, Padmavathi, is a microbiologist, and his father, Rajinikanth, is an ENT surgeon who moved to Chennai to pursue his medical career.[7][8] Gukesh studied at the Velammal Vidyalaya School in Mel Ayanambakkam, Chennai.[9]

Gukesh's family hails from the village of Chenchuraju Kandriga, near Satyavedu in the Tirupati district of Andhra Pradesh.[4][5][6] His grandfather Shankar Raju was born and raised in Chenchuraju Kandriga and worked in the Indian Railways. His son Rajinikanth, later settled in Chennai to pursue a medical career and married Padmavathi there.[5][4] The family owns properties in Chenchuraju Kandriga, where Shankar Raju currently lives.[4][10]

Chess beginnings

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Gukesh learned to play chess in 2013, at the age of seven, and eventually began structured one-hour sessions three times a week.[11] He dropped out of school after Class IV, that is, in elementary school, to focus on his chess career. In 2017, his father quit his job to travel with Gukesh to various tournaments; Gukesh was sponsored by his parents' friends at this time,[12] support about which he has often spoken since.[13] His extraordinary talent was recognized institutionally early on, and he became one of the many beneficiaries of the robust Indian chess ecosystem.[14]

Career

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Beginnings (2015–2019)

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Gukesh won the under-9 section of the Asian School Chess Championships in 2015.[15] He won the World Youth Chess Championship in 2018 in the under-12 category.[16] In the 2018 Asian Youth Chess Championship, he won a record five gold medals in the under-12 events in individual rapid, blitz and classical formats, and the team rapid and blitz competitions.[17] He completed the requirements for the title of International Master in March 2017 at the 34th Cappelle-la-Grande Open.[18]

On 15 January 2019, Gukesh became the then second-youngest grandmaster in the history of the game at the age of 12 years, 7 months, and 17 days, behind Sergey Karjakin.[19][20][a] In June 2021, he won the Julius Baer Challengers Chess Tour, Gelfand Challenge, scoring 14 out of 19 points.[22]

Olympiad gold and Candidates qualification (2022–2023)

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In August 2022, Gukesh won the individual gold medal on the first board in the open event at the 44th Chess Olympiad in Chennai with a score of 9 out of 11. He was part of the India-2 team which won the bronze medal in the same tournament.[23][24] In September 2022, he was part of the Indian team that won the silver medal at the 2022 Asian Games in the men's team competition.[25] In the same month, Gukesh reached a FIDE rating of over 2700 for the first time with a rating of 2726, and became the third-youngest to do so after Wei Yi and Alireza Firouzja.[26][27] During the Aimchess Rapid tournament in October 2022, Gukesh became the youngest to beat Magnus Carlsen, the reigning World Chess Champion.[28]

In August 2023, Gukesh became the youngest player ever to reach a rating of 2750.[29] In the Chess World Cup 2023 at Baku, he advanced to the quarterfinals, where he lost to Carlsen.[30] In the September 2023 rating list, Gukesh surpassed Viswanathan Anand as the top-ranked Indian player, marking the first time in 37 years that Anand was not the top-ranked Indian player.[1][2]

In December 2023, Gukesh qualified for the 2024 Candidates Tournament, to be conducted to identify the challenger to Ding Liren for the World Chess Championship.[31] He finished second in the FIDE Circuit behind Fabiano Caruana, and took the qualifying spot reserved for the winner, as Caruana had already qualified through the Chess World Cup.[32] He was the third-youngest player to qualify for a Candidates tournament, behind Bobby Fischer and Carlsen.[33][34]

Olympiad double gold and World Championship (2024–present)

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Gukesh (left) playing Alireza Firouzja at the 2024 Candidates Tournament

In January 2024, Gukesh finished in a four-way tie for the first place in the Tata Steel Chess Tournament 2024 with a score of 8½ in 13 rounds. He defeated Anish Giri in the semifinals before losing to Wei Yi in the finals of the tiebreaker.[35]

In April 2024, Gukesh was part of the eight-player Candidates Tournament held in Toronto. He won five games against R Praggnanandhaa and Vidit Gujrathi playing as Black, Firouzja playing as White, and Nijat Abasov playing as both Black and White. With a single loss coming against Firouzja, he finished with nine points from 14 rounds to win the tournament.[36][37] He was the youngest-ever winner of the Candidates tournament.[38][39][40]

On August 10, 2024, the book From Boy to Man to Challenger: The Fiercest Battles of Gukesh D, by Cyrus Lakdawala, was published by Elk & Ruby. Fully annotated, it covers 70 games against grand masters and world champions[41][42][43]

In September 2024, Gukesh took part in the Chess Olympiad in Budapest as part of the Indian team. He did not lose a single match and won the individual gold medal with a score of nine across ten rounds. His performance on board one helped India to win their first-ever team gold medal at the Olympiad.[44] As a result of the win, Gukesh entered the top-five in the FIDE rankings for the first time on 1 October 2024.[45][46]

The 2024 World Chess Championship was held in November–December 2024 between Gukesh and Ding Liren. Gukesh scored three wins against two wins for Ding, and nine draws in the 14 classical rounds of the tournament. He won the 14th and final match on 12 December 2024, and as a result, the World Chess Championship by a scoreline of 7½–6½.[47][48] The win made him the youngest undisputed World Chess Champion, with only Ruslan Ponomariov being slightly younger when Ponomariov won the FIDE World Chess Championship 2002, a knockout tournament when the title was split.[49][50] FIDE commented on Gukesh's gameplay as having "near-perfect accuracy", and Ding reacted that it was his best tournament of the year, and that he had no regrets in losing the title to Gukesh.[51] Accolades—and claims of credit—came from both Tamil and Telugu politicians,[52] as well as congratulations from the Indian cricket world.[53]

Playing style

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Gukesh plays a reactive game and has a notable ability to calculate under time pressure, hence his games often evolve into complex tactical battles.[54] His mentor Anand describes him as having "incredible calculating abilities".[55] Carlsen regards Gukesh's style of play as "pure counter" and opined that Gukesh makes very few mistakes, which makes him "an extremely dangerous opponent under any circumstances".[56] His style has also borne comparison with former world champion Anatoly Karpov's incremental, anaconda-like gains (so subtle that his opponent has no counter).[57]

Performance record

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World Chess Championship 2024
Rating Match games Points
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14
 Gukesh Dommaraju (IND) 2783 0 ½ 1 ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ 1 0 ½ 1 7½
 Ding Liren (CHN) 2728 1 ½ 0 ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ 0 1 ½ 0 6½

Awards and nominations

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Year Award Category Result Ref(s)
2023 Asian Chess Federation Player of the Year Won [58]
2024 Times of India Sports Awards Chess Player of the Year Nominated [59]

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ The record has since been beaten by Abhimanyu Mishra, making Gukesh the third-youngest.[21]

References

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  1. ^ a b Menon, Anirudh (1 September 2023). "37 years – How the world changed as Anand stayed constant on top of Indian chess". ESPN. Archived from the original on 23 December 2023. Retrieved 23 December 2023.
  2. ^ a b Watson, Leon (1 September 2023). "Gukesh Ends Anand's 37-Year Reign As India's Official Number 1". Chess.com. Archived from the original on 5 January 2024. Retrieved 23 December 2023.
  3. ^ Kumar, P. K. Ajith (12 December 2024). "Gukesh is youngest world chess champion". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 20 December 2024.
  4. ^ a b c d Kanukula, Sumanth (13 December 2024). "Celebrations in AP with Gukesh's victory.. His grandfather's hometown is somewhere in Andhra Pradesh". Times Now News. Archived from the original on 13 December 2024. Retrieved 13 December 2024. Gukesh was born on May 29, 2006, in a Telugu family settled in Chennai. Gukesh's ancestors belonged to the joint Chittoor district.
  5. ^ a b c "మనోడే.. చదరంగ విశ్వవిజేత". Eenadu (in Telugu). 13 December 2024. Retrieved 13 December 2024.
  6. ^ a b "Dommaraju Gukesh : కొడుకు కోసం డాక్టర్ వృత్తినే వదులుకున్నాడు..కట్ చేస్తే 18 ఏళ్లకే ప్రపంచాన్ని జయించాడు". News18 (in Telugu). 13 December 2024. Retrieved 13 December 2024.
  7. ^ "Dommaraju Gukesh : He gave up his career as a doctor for his son..he conquered the world at 18 years old". News18 (in Telugu). 13 December 2024. Retrieved 13 December 2024.
  8. ^ Prasad RS (16 January 2019). "My achievement hasn't yet sunk in: Gukesh". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 2 August 2022. Retrieved 18 March 2019.
  9. ^ "Velammal students win gold at World Cadet Chess championship 2018". Chennai Plus. 9 December 2018. Archived from the original on 27 March 2019. Retrieved 18 March 2019.
  10. ^ "జగజ్జేత మన గుకేశ్‌ | Dommaraju Gukesh becomes world chess champion". Sakshi (in Telugu). 13 December 2004. Retrieved 13 December 2024.
  11. ^ Lokpria Vasudevan (17 January 2019). "D Gukesh: Grit and determination personify India's youngest Grandmaster". India Today. Archived from the original on 27 March 2019. Retrieved 18 March 2019.
  12. ^ "Gukesh stopped regular school at class IV, no sponsor, father quit job, mother had to…: Story of youngest world champ". The Hindustan Times. 13 December 2024.
  13. ^ "Gukesh Dommaraju, The Boy Who Foretold His Future". thewire.in.
  14. ^ "Gukesh Dommaraju: How the Indian teenager became youngest world chess champion". BBC News. 13 December 2024. Archived from the original on 13 December 2024. Retrieved 13 December 2024.
  15. ^ Shubham Kumthekar; Priyadarshan Banjan (2018). "Gukesh D: The story behind a budding talent". IIFL Wealth Mumbai International Chess Tournament. Archived from the original on 16 April 2019. Retrieved 9 December 2018.
  16. ^ "Chess: India Gukesh, Savitha Shri bag gold medals in U-12 World Cadets Championship". Scroll.in. 16 November 2018. Archived from the original on 11 May 2019. Retrieved 9 December 2018.
  17. ^ Prasad RS (13 March 2018). "Gukesh wins 5 gold medals in Asian Youth Chess Championship". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 30 March 2019. Retrieved 9 December 2018.
  18. ^ Prasad RS (13 March 2018). "Gukesh making all the right moves". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 1 March 2024. Retrieved 9 December 2018.
  19. ^ Shah, Sagar (15 January 2019). "Gukesh becomes second youngest GM in history". ChessBase. Archived from the original on 16 January 2019. Retrieved 15 January 2019.
  20. ^ Shah, Sagar (9 December 2018). "Gukesh with 2 GM norms and 2490 Elo is on the verge of becoming world's youngest GM". ChessBase. Archived from the original on 10 December 2018. Retrieved 9 December 2018.
  21. ^ Hartmann, John (30 June 2021). "GM Abhimanyu Mishra is the Youngest GM in History!". US Chess. Archived from the original on 30 June 2021. Retrieved 23 April 2024.
  22. ^ Rao, Rakesh (14 June 2021). "Gritty Gukesh wins Gelfand Challenge". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 28 March 2023. Retrieved 18 June 2021.
  23. ^ "Gukesh makes it 8/8 and dumps Caruana out of Top 10". Chess24. 2 May 2023. Archived from the original on 2 May 2023. Retrieved 13 December 2024.
  24. ^ "Uzbekistan youngsters surprise winners of 44th Chess Olympiad". FIDE. 9 August 2022. Archived from the original on 9 August 2022. Retrieved 9 August 2022.
  25. ^ "Candidates Chess: Gukesh becomes youngest winner, to challenge for world title". The Economic Times. 22 April 2024. ISSN 0013-0389. Archived from the original on 22 April 2024. Retrieved 22 April 2024.
  26. ^ "Gukesh D, Rating Progress Chart]". FIDE. Archived from the original on 23 September 2024. Retrieved 1 June 2024.
  27. ^ "Biel: Gukesh becomes third-youngest player to cross the 2700 mark". Chessbase. 17 July 2022. Archived from the original on 9 December 2023. Retrieved 25 April 2024.
  28. ^ "Gukesh D vs. Carlsen, Magnus". chess.com. Archived from the original on 17 October 2022. Retrieved 16 October 2022.
  29. ^ "Gukesh Breaks Record: Youngest Player To Cross 2750 Rating]". chess.com. 21 July 2023. Archived from the original on 19 January 2024. Retrieved 1 June 2024.
  30. ^ "2023 Chess WC Q/Fs: Pragg takes Erigaisi to tie-breaks; Gukesh, Vidit out". ESPN. 16 August 2023. Archived from the original on 24 August 2023. Retrieved 16 August 2023.
  31. ^ "Gukesh confirms his Candidates spot". The Hindustan Times. 30 December 2023. Archived from the original on 8 February 2024. Retrieved 15 January 2024.
  32. ^ "FIDE World Championship Cycle". FIDE. Archived from the original on 24 August 2023. Retrieved 15 January 2024.
  33. ^ "Gukesh confirms his Candidates spot". The Hindustan Times. 31 December 2023. Archived from the original on 8 February 2024. Retrieved 1 January 2024.
  34. ^ "Who will win the 2024 Candidates Tournament?". Chessbase. 24 March 2024. Archived from the original on 21 April 2024. Retrieved 1 January 2024.
  35. ^ Carlos Alberto Colodro (29 January 2024). "Wei Yi brilliantly wins Tata Steel Masters in blitz playoff". ChessBase. Archived from the original on 23 September 2024. Retrieved 27 September 2024.
  36. ^ "Gukesh Youngest Ever Candidates Winner, Tan Takes Women's By 1.5 Points". chess.com. 18 April 2024. Archived from the original on 22 April 2024. Retrieved 1 June 2024.
  37. ^ Dylan Loeb McClain. "The Next Winner of the World Chess Championship Could Be the Youngest Ever". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 25 April 2024. Retrieved 22 April 2024.
  38. ^ Leonard Barden (26 April 2024). "Chess: Gukesh, 17, shocks favourites to become youngest challenger for title". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 23 September 2024. Retrieved 1 June 2024.
  39. ^ Sunaadh Sagar (22 April 2024). "D Gukesh, aged 17, wins FIDE Candidates 2024; will play Ding Liren for World Champion title". ESPN. Retrieved 22 April 2024.
  40. ^ "Grandmaster left red-faced: Brutal blunder as new chess king Gukesh crowned at just 18". Fox Sports. 12 December 2024. Retrieved 12 December 2024.
  41. ^ "Welcome to Elk and Ruby Publishing House". www.elkandruby.com.
  42. ^ "Dropbox" (PDF). www.dropbox.com.
  43. ^ Lakdawala, Cyrus (10 August 2024). From Boy to Man to Challenger: The Fiercest Battles of Gukesh D – via forwardchess.com.
  44. ^ "India wins historic double team gold at FIDE Chess Olympiad 2024". Al Jazeera English. 23 September 2024. Archived from the original on 1 October 2024. Retrieved 1 October 2024.
  45. ^ "October 2024 FIDE Ratings: Gukesh Joins Arjun In World Top-5". chess.com. 1 October 2024. Archived from the original on 1 October 2024. Retrieved 1 October 2024.
  46. ^ "Arjun Erigaisi, Gukesh in top 5 rankings after historic Chess Olympiad; Ding Liren out of top 20". The Indian Express. October 2024. Archived from the original on 1 October 2024. Retrieved 1 October 2024.
  47. ^ "World Chess Championship 2024, Gukesh vs Ding Game 14 LIVE: Gukesh becomes World Chess Champion". The Hindu. 12 December 2024. Archived from the original on 12 December 2024. Retrieved 12 December 2024.
  48. ^ "Gukesh wins after Ding blunder, takes lead for first time". The Hindu. 8 December 2024. Archived from the original on 10 December 2024. Retrieved 12 December 2024.
  49. ^ McGourty, Colin (12 December 2024). "18-Year-Old Gukesh Becomes Youngest-Ever Undisputed Chess World Champion". Chess.com. Archived from the original on 11 December 2024. Retrieved 12 December 2024.
  50. ^ "The Youngest Chess Grandmasters In History". Chess.com. 22 March 2019. Archived from the original on 7 November 2020. Retrieved 22 April 2024.
  51. ^ "FIDE World Championship Game 14: Gukesh D crowned 18th World Champion". FIDE. 13 December 2024. Retrieved 13 December 2024.
  52. ^ "Tamil Or Telugu? MK Stalin, Chandrababu Naidu Lead Battle Over Chess Champ Gukesh's Heritage". NDTV.com.
  53. ^ Staff, Al Jazeera. "How India's Gukesh Dommaraju became chess king in a cricket crazy country". Al Jazeera.
  54. ^ "GM Gukesh Dommaraju: A Rising Star in International Chess". US Chess Academy. Retrieved 1 June 2024.
  55. ^ "Viswanathan Anand: Gukesh displays incredible calculating abilities at chess championship". Business Line. 28 November 2024. Retrieved 1 December 2024.
  56. ^ "Gukesh D - 2700chess.com". 2700chess.com. Archived from the original on 2 December 2024. Retrieved 1 December 2024.
  57. ^ "From Boy to Man to Challenger: The Fiercest Battles of Gukesh D". The House of Staunton. Retrieved 1 June 2024.
  58. ^ "Gukesh won the "Player of the Year" and "Best Young Achievers Male" awards". The Indian Express. Retrieved 1 December 2024.
  59. ^ "TOISA 2023: The chess wizards in the running for the trophy". The Times of India. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 15 December 2024.

[1]

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Wikimedia Commons has media related to D. Gukesh.
Achievements
Preceded by World Chess Champion
2024–present 		Incumbent
  1. ^ "Now, I can enjoy and play more freely: D Gukesh". The Times of India. 21 December 2024. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 21 December 2024.
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