Gukesh

Gukesh Dommaraju was born in Chennai in 2006 and learned chess at seven. In 2019 he earned the grandmaster title, the highest standard international title awarded by FIDE, the International Chess Federation, at 12 years, 7 months, and 17 days. At the time, he was the second-youngest player ever to achieve it.

The decisive step toward the world title came at the 2024 Candidates Tournament. This eight-player event selects the challenger who earns a contest against the reigning champion. Gukesh scored 9 points from 14 games, with one point for a win and half a point for a draw. He finished first and became the youngest challenger to that point.

In December 2024 he defeated Ding Liren 7.5 to 6.5 in a fourteen-game match in Singapore. He won the final game to become the eighteenth world champion and the youngest player ever to win the official title. The achievement reflected deep preparation, strong calculation of complex move sequences, and the ability to remain precise under exceptional pressure.