Hailing from the southern Indian city of Chennai, Gukesh Dommaraju has become the youngest undisputed World Chess Champion. The 19-year-old is breaking records and taking over the chess world. His rise from learning the game at the age of seven to defeating some of the greatest players, including Magnus Carlsen and Ding Liren, is nothing short of sensational.
But how did this young boy from India get to the top in such a short time? What drives him to take on legends like Carlsen with confidence? And how does he handle the pressure of being the world’s youngest chess champion? Here’s all you need to know about Gukesh Dommaraju’s life so far.
Gukesh Dommaraju’s early chess journey: how it all started
Born on 29 May 2006, in Chennai, Dommaraju grew up in a city known as the “chess capital” of India. The young boy’s interest in chess started when his school, Velammal Vidyalaya, introduced him to the game. He only started playing at seven years old, which in fact is a late start in the world of chess. But there have been many such Grandmasters – the highest title for a chess player – in the past.
It didn’t take long for Dommaraju to show his potential. Within six months, he became a FIDE-rated player under V. Bhaskar, his first coach. By nine, he earned the Candidate Master title after winning the under-9 category at the 2015 Asian School Chess Championship.
His parents, Rajinikanth Dommaraju and Padma Kumari, are both doctors and made many sacrifices to nurture his talent. His father, an ENT surgeon, shifted to part-time work to travel with Dommaraju to tournaments, while his mother, a microbiologist, worked extra shifts to support his chess career.
Dommaraju’s mother has been quoted as saying, “I would be very happy to hear that you are a great chess player, but I would be even happier to hear that you are an even greater person.” Dommaraju’s school also helped him reach his goal. They let him skip regular classes and attend only exams so he could focus on improving his chess skills.
Gukesh Dommaraju’s grandmaster title: a historic milestone
Dommaraju had already achieved the title of International Master by the time he was 11, completing the mandatory norms (achieving a FIDE rating of 2,400 or higher) in record time. His next goal was to become a Grandmaster (GM), and he came close to breaking Sergey Karjakin’s record of becoming the second youngest Grandmaster in history.
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Just 17 days later, Dommaraju earned the title after playing at least 27 games and maintaining a performance rating of 2600 or higher in tournaments. This made him the third-youngest Grandmaster in history. “I was disappointed for two days. Then I moved on,” Dommaraju told ESPN, reflecting on his near miss.
His current coach, Vishnu Prasanna, helped him keep things in perspective. “I tried not to get him too attached to chasing the GM title,” he said. “I told him it won’t be the greatest-ever achievement there is and that there are many around us who have achieved far more challenging goals.”
When was Gukesh Dommaraju’s breakthrough moment?
Dommaraju’s breakthrough came in July 2022, when he crossed the 2,700 rating mark, becoming one of the youngest players in history to achieve this feat. By September 2023, he became India’s highest-rated chess player, surpassing Viswanathan Anand, who had held the top spot for 37 years.
In October 2022, Dommaraju made headlines when he defeated Magnus Carlsen in the Aimchess Rapid online tournament. He became the youngest player to beat Carlsen since the Norwegian became world champion in 2013. This victory was a sign of things to come for Dommaraju in the bigger leagues.
Is Gukesh Dommaraju a world champion?
Dommaraju’s world champion title came in December 2024, when he defeated Ding Liren to become the youngest undisputed World Chess Champion in history. The record was previously held by Garry Kasparov, who won the championship title at 22 in 1985.
Despite being the challenger, Dommaraju was rated higher than Ding at the start of the 14-game match. He lost the first game but came back in game three to level the score. A series of intense draws followed until Dommaraju won game 11 to take the lead. Ding levelled the score again in game 12, and everything came down to the final. In a dramatic finish, Ding made an error on his 55th move, which Dommaraju capitalised on, forcing Ding to resign. Dommaraju was left in tears towards the end.
“I’ve been dreaming about this and living this moment since I was 6 or 7,” Dommaraju said in the post-match press conference. “Every chess player wants to live this moment and to be one of them is…the only way to express it is I’m living my dream.”
What happened between Gukesh Dommaraju and Magnus Carlsen recently?
Dommaraju’s rivalry with Magnus Carlsen has been the talk of the chess world. Their most recent clash came during the Norway Chess Tournament in June this year, where Dommaraju defeated Carlsen in a classical match for the first time.
Carlsen led for most of the game, but a crucial mistake cost him his knight and allowed Dommaraju to take the advantage. Carlsen was then seen slamming his fist on the table, and Dommaraju later told Chess.com, “I mean, [the win was] not the way I wanted it to be, but okay, I’ll take it. I’ve also banged a lot of tables in my career.” Despite the tension, Dommaraju humbly admitted that “99 out of 100 times I would lose. But it was just a lucky day.”
