Gukesh Dommaraju

Gukesh Dommaraju is an Indian grandmaster and reigning World Champion. He won the FIDE Candidates Tournament (2024), becoming the youngest player in history to earn the right to challenge for the World Championship. He then became the youngest World Champion by defeating Ding Liren 7.5 to 6.5 in 2024. Gukesh is also the third youngest player ever to earn the GM title, which he achieved at the age of 12 years and seven months. In addition to several youth titles, Gukesh scored an individual gold medal on Board 1 in the Chennai Chess Olympiad (2022), leading India to earn the team bronze. He followed this up with a sensational performance in the 2024 Chess Olympiad in Budapest where he led India to first place and had the best individual result on board one. Gukesh will defend his title against the winner of the 2026 Candidates tournament later this year.