In a monumental achievement for Indian chess, 18-year-old Grandmaster Gukesh Dommaraju has etched his identify in historical past by changing into the youngest world champion. He claimed the celebrated title after defeating China’s Ding Liren within the 14th and remaining recreation of the World Chess Championship on December 12, 2024. Gukesh is barely the second Indian to win the title, following within the footsteps of the legendary Viswanathan Anand, who held the crown 5 instances.
Gukesh Dommaraju, at 18, grew to become the youngest chess world champion, praised by Musk and Pichai.((PTI))
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Global tech leaders, including Tesla CEO Elon Musk and Google CEO Sundar Pichai, joined in the celebration, taking to the social media platform X (formerly Twitter) to laud the young prodigy. Musk kept it concise, writing, “Congratulations!” Meanwhile, Pichai posted an enthusiastic message: “Congrats to Gukesh D, incredible to become youngest world champion at 18!! 🇮🇳🎈”
Check out the posts here: A journey of grit and glory
Born on 29 May 2006 in Chennai, India, Gukesh Dommaraju showed a natural affinity for chess from an early age. Raised in a Telugu family, Gukesh is the son of Dr Rajinikanth, an ENT surgeon, and Dr Padma, a microbiologist. His journey began at the age of seven, and his meteoric rise soon made waves in the chess community.
In 2015, he marked his first major achievement by winning the U9 category at the Asian School Chess Championships. At just 12 years old, he secured the U12 World Youth Chess Championship. The same year, he dominated the 2018 Asian Youth Chess Championships, clinching five gold medals across rapid, blitz, and classical formats in both individual and team events.
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Breaking information and making historical past
Gukesh’s ascent to chess stardom has been extraordinary. By March 2017, he earned the title of Worldwide Grasp. Later, at simply 12 years, 7 months, and 17 days previous, he grew to become the third-youngest Grandmaster in historical past.
This newest victory cements his place among the many biggest within the chess world and brings delight to a nation that reveres its chess legends. As India celebrates Gukesh’s triumph, the world watches in awe at this younger champion’s outstanding journey—a testomony to expertise, dedication, and unwavering focus.