Gukesh Dommaraju
Gukesh Dommaraju is an Indian grandmaster who, at 18 years and 195 days old, became the youngest undisputed World Chess Champion in history, surpassing Garry Kasparov’s long-standing record.
Career
Born May 29, 2006 in Chennai, Gukesh became the third-youngest grandmaster ever at age 12, and the youngest player to reach a 2750 rating in August 2023. In September 2023 he overtook Viswanathan Anand as India’s top-rated player, ending Anand’s 37-year run atop Indian chess.
He won the 2024 Candidates Tournament as its youngest-ever winner, earning the right to challenge reigning champion Ding Liren. In November–December 2024 he won the 14-game World Championship match 7½–6½. Magnus Carlsen has described him as playing “pure counter” chess with exceptional accuracy. He also won individual and team gold at the 2024 Chess Olympiad, and became the youngest-ever recipient of India’s Khel Ratna Award in January 2025.
Why invite
The youngest World Chess Champion in history and a generational sports story — a compelling, still-teenage face for a piece on competitive mastery across games.