King at 17, Chennai lad Gukesh sets his sights on chess World Championship

The Toronto win makes D Gukesh the youngest World Championship contender in chess history

Chennai’s roaring love affair with the game of chess blossomed at the height of the Cold War in the 1970s, when it opened doors to the sprawling Russian Cultural Centre in the bustling Nungambakkam area.

It was in this vicinity that the city’s first chess club, named after Mikhail Tal, the Soviet-Latvian creative genius, took shape. Over time, it would turn into a hub that would churn out Grandmasters on an assembly line.

The Russian Cultural Centre was where a certain Viswanathan Anand would spend hours devouring reams of chess literature and perfecting his moves on the 64 squares.

At the turn of the century, the action shifted to the Velammal Institutions, which became the catalyst for producing the next generation of Grandmasters.

Since 2004, India has churned out 73 Grandmasters, of which 15 owe their allegiance to the famed Velammal Institutions.

On Monday, D Gukesh, the precocious 17-year-old, considered the finest exponent to emerge from this nursery, underlined his status as a player of pedigree and acumen to become the youngest challenger to the World Championship title.

He clinched the prestigious FIDE Candidates Tournament in Toronto, becoming the second Indian after Anand to win this title.

Gukesh accumulated nine of the 14 points to draw his final round game against American Hikaru Nakamura, who is 36.

The teen will now take on China’s Ding Liren in the summit clash later this year.

“Congratulations to @DGukesh for becoming the youngest challenger. The @WacaChess family is so proud of what you have done. I'm personally very proud of how you played and handled tough situations. Enjoy the moment,” Anand posted on X.

 

The win caps Gukesh’s meteoric rise, who was crowned Grandmaster in 2019. He became the second-youngest to be named Grandmaster in chess history.

Though he was born into a Telugu-speaking family of doctors – his father, Rajinikanth, is an ENT surgeon, and mother, Padma, is a microbiologist – few expected Gukesh to follow in the footsteps of his parents.

By the time he was seven, Gukesh’s unwavering focus lay on the chess board.

“Chess has always been a part of the city's culture and the decision to make chess a part of the curriculum has really helped it to boom. Of course, they also have a champion like Anand to look up to,” S Velavan, the chess co-coordinator at the Velammal, told PTI.

“Since most of the children coming here have a genuine interest in chess, we don't have to push them,” Velavan was quoted as saying.

The ‘7 to 17 programme’ introduced in schools across the city by former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa a decade ago is finally reaping dividends, with R Praggnanandhaa and Gukesh among the sport’s finest exponents.

More than talent and skill, what makes Gukesh stand out is his ability to maintain an ice-cool temperament under dire circumstances.

This unflappable temperament came to the fore following his loss to Alireza Firouzja in round 7 of the FIDE Candidates tournament.
 

Instead of getting dejected by that loss, Gukesh drew much-needed motivation.

“I was quite upset after, but during the rest day, I already felt so good. Even though I had a painful loss, I was feeling at my absolute best. Maybe this loss gave me so much motivation,” he said at the press conference.

The congratulatory messages have not stopped coming, and his phone has been buzzing non-stop for the past 12 hours. Gukesh, though, is not sitting on his laurels, comforted by this win.

He has set his sights on winning the World Championship. “I am just planning to do my absolute best and do the right things,” Gukesh told ANI after the win.

Gukesh’s poise will hold him in good stead when he meets Liren for the coveted title. If he comes out shining, expect the stretch from the Russian Cultural Centre to the Napier Bridge in Chennai to erupt in unadulterated joy.

Gukesh’s moves

Born: May 29, 2006

2015: Wins U-9 Asian School Chess Championship

2017: Turns International Master at the 34th Cappelle-la-Grande Open

2019: Becomes second-youngest Grandmaster in history at 12 years, 7 months and 17 days

2022: Becomes youngest player to beat Magnus Carlsen, the World Champion, at the Aimchess Rapid tournament

2023: Youngest player to reach a rating of 2750; surpasses Viswanathan Anand as top-ranked Indian player for the first time in 37 years

2024: Becomes youngest Candidates winner