A few facts about the teenage prodigy Gukesh Dommaraju are worth knowing as the world watches him compete against Ding Liren at the World Chess Championship.
As India’s rising talent Gukesh Dommaraju faces off against the current champion Ding Liren on Day 1 of the World Chess Championship today, the chess community is a hive of excitement. This event is made even more exciting by the fact that two Asian athletes are vying for the sport’s most coveted title for the first time in 138 years.
This best-of-14 encounter, which took place in Singapore from November 23 to December 15, is a turning point in chess history. You ask, why? Gukesh Dommaraju, who is only eighteen years old has the potential to become the youngest unquestioned World Chess Champion in history. He will surpass the record set by the legendary Garry Kasparov, who won the world title in 1985 at the age of 22.
So, who is this 18-year-old chess prodigy that is causing such a stir? Let’s examine his background and the reasons he is positioned to create history.
Originating in Chennai, India, Gukesh Dommaraju began learning the game of chess at the age of seven while attending Velammal School. His first coach, Bhaskar V, discovered something unique in the youngster during an everyday extracurricular activity and recognised his potential quite early. Gukesh Dommaraju commitment increased from there, and by the time he entered Class 4, he was totally focused on his chess studies.
Two further instructors, Vijayanand and Vishnu Prasanna, guided Gukesh and assisted him in developing his tactical and positional awareness abilities. Gukesh took the risk of training without chess engines until he achieved a certain level, when other players largely relied on them. This choice changed everything since Gukesh Dommaraju distinguished himself from his classmates with his accurate calculations and keen intuition.
Creating a chess world first
Gukesh is not the first person to make history today. He became the youngest-ever competitor for the World Chess Championship at the age of 17, shocking the chess community by capturing the Candidates Tournament in Toronto. He proved that this youth was not to be taken lightly when he defeated chess titans Ian Nepomniachtchi, Hikaru Nakamura, & Fabiano Caruana in the eight-man tournament.
A milestone that hadn’t occurred in more than 36 years was reached in 2022 when Gukesh overtook Viswanathan Anand to become the top-ranked chess player in India. Anand had been the face of Indian chess for decades, and this was the very first occasion that someone had ranked higher than him.
Legends as a guide:
The guidance of Viswanathan Anand, the five-time world champion from India, has been instrumental in Gukesh’s ascent. Gukesh Dommaraju has benefited greatly from Anand’s support to engage with elite coaches and his assistance in honing his craft. Anand is credited by Gukesh as having had a significant impact on his career and development as a player.
Gukesh also sought the assistance of Paddy Upton, a mental conditioning coach who has experience with the Indian hockey and cricket teams, in order to prepare for this World Chess Championship. Upton described Gukesh as a “unrestricted blessing” to work with, noting his maturity and self-awareness.
The journey ahead:
The final test for Gukesh will be the match versus Ding Liren. In addition to winning the world championship, he will break a record set by one of the greatest chess luminaries and become the youngest undisputed winner in history. Nevertheless, Gukesh has already attained a degree of success that many others at his age can only imagine, regardless of the result. With Gukesh leading the way, chess has an excellent future regardless of whether he wins the title.
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