Gukesh Dommaraju — widely known simply as Gukesh D — is the Indian grandmaster who did something nobody had ever done: in December 2024, at the age of 18, he became the youngest undisputed World Chess Champion in history. He beat reigning champion Ding Liren in a 14-game match in Singapore, and in doing so shattered a record that had stood since 1985. He’s the second Indian ever to hold the crown, and the first since the legendary Viswanathan Anand.
Quick facts
- Full name: Gukesh Dommaraju (often written “Gukesh D”) · Born: 29 May 2006, Chennai, India
- Title: Grandmaster (earned at age 12)
- Peak rating: 2794 (2024)
- World title: Undisputed World Chess Champion (2024–) — the youngest ever
- Style: patient, deep-calculating counter-puncher who grinds and defends like few teenagers ever have
Who is Gukesh Dommaraju?
Gukesh was born in Chennai in 2006 — the same chess-mad city that produced Anand — and learned the game as a young kid. He turned pro early, and in January 2019 he earned the grandmaster title at just 12 years, 7 months and 17 days old, making him one of the youngest GMs in the history of the game (second-youngest ever at the time; third-youngest all-time as of July 2026).
From there the climb was relentless. He crossed the 2700 rating milestone in 2022 as a 16-year-old, then kept rising. In April 2024 he won the Candidates Tournament in Toronto — the event that decides who challenges for the world title — becoming the youngest-ever Candidates winner at 17. Eight months later he was World Champion.
What makes the rise so striking is the support system behind it. Gukesh trained at the WestBridge Anand Chess Academy (WACA), mentored by five-time World Champion Viswanathan Anand, and his long-time coach GM Vishnu Prasanna deliberately had him lean on his own calculation rather than a computer in his formative years. Those choices helped turn a gifted Chennai kid into a world champion in barely five years from his grandmaster title.
What is Gukesh’s playing style?
Gukesh is a patient, incredibly deep calculator. Where some young stars win with wild attacks, Gukesh tends to squeeze — building small advantages, defending tough positions with remarkable calm, and outlasting opponents in long games. Magnus Carlsen has described his style as a “pure counter,” and commentators often compare his slow, suffocating positional pressure to Anatoly Karpov’s famous “anaconda” grip.
He pairs that with a huge appetite for hard work and preparation. We break it all down with examples in Gukesh’s playing style.
What openings does Gukesh play?
As Black against 1.e4, Gukesh’s sharpest weapon is the Sicilian Defense, especially the Najdorf — a principled, double-edged line that suits his calculation. He also happily plays classical 1…e5 setups. As White he grew up a 1.e4 player (Ruy Lopez, Italian Game, Scotch) and later added 1.d4 — the Queen’s Gambit and Catalan systems he used heavily in his World Championship match.
See the full repertoire in Gukesh’s openings.
Career highlights
- 2019: earns the grandmaster title at age 12 — one of the youngest GMs ever.
- 2022: wins individual gold on Board 1 at the Chennai Chess Olympiad with a superb 9/11.
- 2022: crosses the 2700 rating barrier as a 16-year-old.
- April 2024: wins the Candidates Tournament in Toronto (9/14) — the youngest winner in history.
- September 2024: leads India to team gold at the Budapest Chess Olympiad, taking board-one gold too, undefeated.
- October 2024: reaches his peak classical rating of 2794.
- 12 December 2024: defeats Ding Liren 7½–6½ in Singapore to become the youngest undisputed World Chess Champion in history at 18.
Want the numbers behind the rise? See Gukesh’s rating history.
The best games
Gukesh’s greatest hits are already the stuff of chess history — from his must-win Candidates battles to the tense final game in Singapore that made him champion. We’ve collected the highlights in Gukesh Dommaraju’s best games.
Fun facts
- He was inspired to chase the world title as a kid in Chennai, reportedly saying he wanted to become the youngest world champion — a goal he actually pulled off.
- He trained at the WestBridge Anand Chess Academy (WACA), mentored by five-time World Champion Viswanathan Anand himself.
- His long-time coach GM Vishnu Prasanna famously encouraged him to limit engine use in his formative years, sharpening his own calculation instead.
- He’s the second Indian World Champion ever — following Anand — and won the crown in Anand’s own backyard chess culture.
FAQ
How old is Gukesh Dommaraju? He was born on 29 May 2006 in Chennai, India, which makes him 19 years old as of July 2026.
Is Gukesh the youngest World Chess Champion ever? Yes. When he beat Ding Liren in December 2024 at 18, he became the youngest undisputed World Chess Champion in history, breaking Garry Kasparov’s long-standing record from 1985.
What is Gukesh’s highest rating? His peak classical FIDE rating is 2794, reached in 2024.
When did Gukesh become a grandmaster? In January 2019, at 12 years, 7 months and 17 days — one of the youngest grandmasters ever.
Who did Gukesh beat to become World Champion? He defeated the reigning champion Ding Liren of China, winning the 14-game match 7½–6½ in Singapore in December 2024.
Keep exploring
Dig deeper into the champion: his best games · his playing style · his opening repertoire · his rating history · fun facts & records · or browse all chess players.
Written and fact-checked by the Chess Lab Academy Editorial Team · Facts verified against Wikipedia, his FIDE profile, and Chess.com, as of July 2026 · Last verified 2026-07-10 · How we verify content.