Gukesh Dommaraju Biography, Age, Height, Grandmaster, Career In 2025

Who is Gukesh Dommaraju? 
Dommaraju Gukesh, known as D. Gukesh, is one of India’s outstanding chess prodigies and is a sensational global figure. He became the world’s second youngest Grandmaster at the age of 12 years, 7 months and 17 days old. His path is still challenging the standard in the chess world.

Early Life and Rise

Gukesh began playing chess at seven and began showing exceptional talent almost immediately. In 2018, he won the under-12 World Youth Championship and won several gold medals in the Asian Youth Championships. In addition, within sixteen months, from October 2017 to January 2019, he achieved three International Master norms, three Grandmaster norms, and raised his rating from the low 2300s to 2512.

Major Accomplishments
World Chess Olympiad, 2022:
1. Gold medal on board one; 
2. Bronze medal for the team.

Asian Games, 2022: Team silver medal.

At age 16, he became the third-youngest player to cross 2700 Elo rating and later crossed 2750 in 2023.

FIDE Candidates & World Championship
Gukesh was only 17 when he won the FIDE Candidates Tournament in Toronto in April 2024, making him the youngest winner ever and earning him his slot as a challenger for the World Championship.

Gukesh played reigning champion Ding Liren in Singapore from November 25 - December 12, 2024. Ding Liren and Gukesh finished with a match score of 7½– 6½; their final game was Game 14, in which Petersburg won decisively, allowing Gukesh to become the youngest undisputed World Chess Champion at 18 years, 6 months, and 14 days and breaking Garry Kasparov's 1985 record. 

Notable Games & Reputation
At the Norway Chess 2025 tournament, Gukesh surprised the chess community by defeating former World Champion Magnus Carlsen in classical format. He was praised for how mature, classy, and composed he was during the match.

Details & Style
Born: May 29, 2006 (Chennai)

Playing Style: Aggressive and dynamic 

Rating in November 2024: Approx. 2783, FIDE's top 5.

Why Gukesh is Different
He became a Grandmaster before age 13, a feat very few can accomplish. He set different age-related records: youngest Candidate's winner, youngest challenger to a match, and youngest undisputed world champion. He also showed his ability to perform under pressure with a number of strong results in Olympiad and world championship matches. 

Gukesh Dommaraju's success represents a changing of the guard in world chess and establishes him as one of the most exciting young leaders in the game.