In this collection of pictures, we will explore some fascinating facts about D. Gukesh, India's youngest chess grandmaster.
India's D. Gukesh triumphed over China's Ding Liren in the 14th round to claim the 2024 World Chess Championship title in Singapore.
Gukesh began learning chess at Velammal School in Chennai at age seven. He stopped attending school after Standard 4, and his talent was spotted by his first coach, Bhaskar V, during an ECA session in Standard 1.
As Gukesh's chess skills grew, he began training with Grandmaster Vishnu Prasanna, who introduced an innovative approach to his training.
In September of the previous year, he became India's highest-ranked player in FIDE, surpassing five-time world champion Viswanathan Anand for the first time in over 36 years.
Anand has mentored Gukesh from the start and advised him to train with Poland's Grzegorz Gajewski, who had once been Anand's assistant.
Before the World Chess Championship, Gukesh consulted mental coach Paddy Upton, who had helped the Indian cricket team win the 2011 World Cup and the hockey team secure a bronze at the Paris Olympics.
Bhaskar introduced Gukesh to his second coach, Vijayanand, at the Vijayanand Chess Academy. There, Gukesh would start his training at 9:30 am and solve 70 chess puzzles daily.