Who Is India's No. 1 Chess Player

We find out all about India's No. 1 chess player D. Gukesh, who is just 17 years of age.

D. Gukesh became GM at 12 years of age

He earned the Grandmaster's title at the age of 12 years, 7 months, and 17 days of age-narrowly missing out on GM Sergey Karjakin's record by just 17 days. In July 2022, he achieved a live rating of 2700. In the process, he became the fourth-youngest player to ever do so.

D. Gukesh became an IM at 11 years of age

D. Gukesh was just 7 years old when he learned to play chess. He became an international master at 11 years, nine months, and nine days old.

D. Gukesh became CM in 2015

At the 2015 Asian School Chess Championships, he emerged triumphant at the under-9 section while also earning the candidate master's (CM) title. His first major win came in 2018.

Viswanathan Anand is his mentor

Viswanathan Anand, the nation’s first grandmaster, has become a mentor for the 17-year-old via the Westbridge Anand Chess Academy.

D. Gukesh got FIDE-rating in 6 months

Gukesh's first coach at the school, Mr. Bhaskar, quickly realised the boy's potential and helped him become a FIDE-rated player just 6 months after learning the game.

D Gukesh was introduced to chess in his school

Hailing from Chennai, the same city as GM Viswanathan Anand, Gukesh was introduced to chess by his school, which is part of the Velammal group of schools across Chennai.