The FIDE World Chess Championship begins tomorrow in Singapore and features 14 classical games plus a rapid and blitz section if they become necessary. The defending champion is China’s Ding Liren, 32. The challenger is India’s Gukesh Dommaraju, or Gukesh D, 18. Google has sponsored the match for US$ 2.5 million.
Today we wrap up our look at Gukesh D, who captured global attention in 2022 when he won an individual Gold Medal at the FIDE Chess Olympiad scoring an impressive nine points from 11 games. In 2022 also, he crossed the 2700 ELO mark becoming the third youngest player to achieve such a distinction after Wei Yi and Alireza Firouzja.
When a player crosses the 2700 mark he/she is considered a super-grandmaster. To achieve this feat as a teenager is a mark of distinction. In August 2023 Gukesh D cleared the 2750 ELO mark becoming the youngest person to do so. One month later he reached world number 8, overtaking former world champion Viswanathan Anand as India’s top-rated player, a title which Anand held for more than 37 years.
Gukesh D finished second in the 2023 FIDE Circuit, which consists of a series of tournaments within one year. This secured him a spot at the 2024 Candidates Tournament. In his first ever appearance at the Candidates, he won the event with a superb 9/14 score becoming the youngest person ever to challenge for the title of world champion. In his final international appearance before the title match Gukesh D played top board at the 45th Chess Olympiad and scored a phenomenal 9 out of 10 winning a gold medal in the process.
Can Gukesh D beat Ding Liren? Both players are ready for the long haul. I will favour the one who is better prepared theoretically and mentally. However, young men and women are excelling in chess like never before.
