Gukesh Dommaraju left school after class IV, had no sponsors, and his father gave up his job, leaving his mother as the sole breadwinner. This is the journey of the youngest world chess champion.
At just seven years old, D Gukesh dreamed of becoming a world chess champion. While his parents supported him, they never imagined he would achieve this dream in just 11 years, becoming the youngest world champion at 18. The Indian grandmaster defeated defending champion Ding Liren of China in a nail-biting 14-game marathon, making him the second Indian, after Viswanathan Anand, to win the prestigious title. It took time for his parents, Rajinikanth and Padma Kumari, to fully grasp the achievement. Years of dedication, sacrifice, and unwavering determination finally paid off for Gukesh.
Reflecting on his parents’ support after defeating Ding in the 14th game, Gukesh mentioned that while he had dreamt of this moment since he began playing chess at seven, the dream was probably even bigger for his parents. He secured the necessary 7.5 points to Ding Liren’s 6.5, after a final game that initially seemed headed for a draw.
Gukesh’s father left his job, and his mother took on the responsibility of being the family’s only provider.
Gukesh’s rise to the top has been a challenging journey, requiring sacrifices from both him and his parents. His father, Rajinikanth, had to give up his career as an ENT surgeon, while his mother, Padma, a microbiologist, took on the role of the family’s main provider. In 2017-18, Rajinikanth stopped practicing medicine to travel with Gukesh on a limited budget as his son pursued his final GM norm, while Padma handled the household finances as the primary breadwinner.
Gukesh’s chess journey began in 2013 with weekly lessons, the same year Viswanathan Anand lost his world title to Magnus Carlsen. He quickly excelled, becoming an International Master in 2017 after a tournament in France. Gukesh’s early victories included gold in the under-9 Asian school championship and the under-12 World Youth Chess Championship in 2018. His passion led his parents to withdraw him from full-time school after Class IV. In 2019, he became the second-youngest Grandmaster, a title later surpassed by others. Despite his rapid rise, Gukesh had no sponsors and relied on prize money and family-led crowdfunding.
