At 18 years old, Gukesh Dommaraju often referred to as Gukesh D of India, is the youngest person in the history of chess to have ever qualified to become a contender for the title of World Champion. He became a contender following his victory in the 2024 Toronto Candidates Tournament. Dommaraju achieved this feat at 17 years of age to be specific. He will face the world champion Chinese grandmaster Ding Liren in Singapore beginning November 25.
Gukesh D became a chess grandmaster at age 12. He was born on May 29, 2006 in Chennai, the home of some of India’s finest players including five-time world champion Viswanathan Anand. Having learned chess at the age of seven in school, he earned his FIDE Master title when he won the Under-9 Asian Schools Chess Championship in 2015. In 2018 at just 11 years old, Gukesh D became an International Master. He clinched the grandmaster title at the 17th Delhi International GM Open on January 15, 2019.
