D Gukesh defeated Ding Liren of China to claim the FIDE world chess championship title on Thursday, becoming the youngest ever at age 18. This victory marks him as only the second Indian to win the crown, following Viswanathan Anand. His path to the top involved significant family sacrifices and early prodigious talent.
D Gukesh's triumph came in the final game of a tense match against defending champion Ding Liren, capping a strong year of performances. At 18, he secured the title after a journey supported by his parents, ENT surgeon Dr Rajinikanth and microbiologist Padma, who paused their careers to nurture his talent.
In 2017-18, Rajinikanth halted his practice to accompany Gukesh on international travels for his final Grandmaster norm, funding the trips modestly while Padma managed household finances. This dedication allowed Gukesh to forgo full-time schooling after Class IV, focusing instead on chess.
His early achievements included gold medals in the under-9 Asian school championship and the 2018 World Youth Chess Championships in the under-12 category. In 2019, during a tournament in New Delhi, Gukesh became the second-youngest Grandmaster ever, a record initially behind Sergey Karjakin of Russia but later surpassed by Abhimanyu Mishra, an Indian-origin player from the USA.
Gukesh's rise continued in 2022 with individual gold medals on India's top board at international events, including one in Budapest. Last year, he overtook his idol Viswanathan Anand to become India's number one player. Anand, now 55 and in semi-retirement, significantly influenced Gukesh's development at the Westbridge-Anand Chess Academy in Chennai, established in 2020 amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
The academy helped polish Gukesh's skills, leading to his world championship success and extending Anand's legacy, which includes five title wins.
