At just 18 years old, Gukesh D has rewritten chess history, becoming the youngest-ever World Chess Champion. In December 2024, he defeated reigning champion Ding Liren to bring the title back to India, a feat last achieved by Viswanathan Anand over a decade ago.

Photo: FIDE / Eng Chin An

A Journey Marked by Historic Milestones

Gukesh’s chess journey is studded with remarkable achievements. In August 2022, at the 44th Chess Olympiad, he showcased his prowess with an incredible 8/8 start, defeating the USA’s top player Fabiano Caruana in a decisive game. He finished with a score of 9/11, earning the gold medal on the first board, while his team, India-2, clinched third place. That same year, he became the youngest player to beat Magnus Carlsen since the latter became World Champion.

In June 2023, Gukesh finished third at Norway Chess, securing the crucial FIDE Circuit points needed to qualify for the 2024 Candidates Tournament. This achievement made him the third-youngest player in history to qualify for a Candidates tournament, following in the footsteps of Bobby Fischer and Magnus Carlsen.

By August 2023, Gukesh shattered another record, becoming the youngest player ever to achieve a rating of 2750. A month later, in September 2023, he surpassed Viswanathan Anand as India’s top-ranked player, marking the first time in 37 years that someone other than Anand held this distinction.

A Phenomenal Year: 2024

Gukesh’s incredible form continued into 2024. After a shared first-place finish at Tata Steel Masters in January, he dominated the Candidates Tournament, securing his spot in the World Chess Championship match. At the Olympiad, he led Team India to gold while earning an individual gold medal on board one with an outstanding performance.

His crowning moment came in December 2024, when he defeated Ding Liren to claim the World Chess Champion title.

A Universal Approach to Chess

Gukesh describes his playing style as universal, a balance between positional precision and attacking creativity. Reflecting on his chess philosophy, he shared,

“My word is Universal because I’m always eager to learn more, I like to play different kinds of positions, and I believe I’m quite balanced in positional and attacking chess.”

Gukesh at Norway Chess 2025

In 2023, Gukesh made an impressive debut at Norway Chess, finishing third. This performance played a pivotal role in earning him a place at the Candidates Tournament. Now, as the reigning World Champion, Gukesh returns to Stavanger, ready to take on the world’s best players once again.

Will the young champion take the top spot in 2025?