In a few hours, 18-year-old D Gukesh will face Ding Liren over a 64-square&nbsp;battlefield of infinite possibilities.
With the World Chess Championships in Singapore tied at 6-6, today&rsquo;s game 14 is a winner-takes-all battle&mdash;and the world will be watching.
If he wins, Gukesh will make history as only the second Indian to hold the world title after Viswanathan Anand.&nbsp;
But who is this boy who might redefine Indian chess?
Born in Chennai on May 29, 2006, Gukesh Dommaraju comes from a Telugu-speaking family. His father, Dr. Rajinikanth, is an ENT surgeon, and his mother, Dr. Padma, is a microbiologist.
Gukesh started playing chess at the age of seven, and soon began competing in weekend tournaments. His first major win was in the Under-9 category of the Asian School Chess Championships in 2015. By 12, he was a general, planning his campaigns&mdash;deciding when to sacrifice a queen or advance a pawn. In 2018, he brought home five gold medals from the Asian Youth Chess Championships across individual and team formats in rapid, blitz, and classical games.
The next December, at just 12 years, 7 months, and 17 days, he became the third-youngest Grandmaster in chess history.
Gukesh&rsquo;s next big win came in 2023, when he became the youngest player ever to reach a 2750 Elo rating. Later that year, he surpassed Viswanathan Anand as India&rsquo;s top-ranked chess player, ending Anand&rsquo;s nearly four-decade reign at the top.
This year has been good to Gukesh. He earned his place in the World Chess Championship&nbsp;by becoming the youngest-ever winner of the Candidates Tournament. He also played a pivotal role in India&rsquo;s first Chess Olympiad gold medal, teaming up Arjun Erigaisi, Pentala Harikrishna, R Praggnanandhaa, and Vidit Gujrathi with to achieve the historic feat.
Through the World title series so far, Gukesh has displayed both mental resilience and strategic mastery. In Game 13, Gukesh pushed Ding to the brink during a 68-move marathon, which Ding managed to escape with a draw.
If Gukesh maintains that form, the world might just witness the coronation of a new chess king.

Gukesh became the youngest-ever winner of the Candidates Tournament earlier this year.

D Gukesh could make history as only the 2nd Indian to hold the world title. Who is this teen?

Will Chess Crown a New King Today?

D Gukesh could make history as only the 2nd Indian to hold the world title. Who is this teen?

December 12, 2024 | 11:19 IST