Over the past three years, the young player has achieved a number of extraordinary achievements, culminating in this victory.
Hukesh has won the individual gold medal for the best performance in the last two Olympics. He led India to a team bronze in Chennai 2022 and a gold medal in Budapest 2024.
He also won the Candidates, a tournament that gave him the right to challenge Ding Liren.
Earlier as a teenager, Gukesh was ruled out as a potential challenger by his mentor, former world champion Viswanathan Anand, or “Vishy Sir” as Gukesh calls him. He believed that Gukesh simply lacked experience.
Indeed, Gukesh suffered an apparently disastrous defeat in the middle of the stage, but then rallied to win the next round and eventually went on to win.
In the title match, Gukesh lost the first game and tied the score by winning the third game, then he led in the eleventh game and Dean tied the score by winning the 12th game.
Game 14 was clearly a tight affair with the title and $2.5m (£1.98m) prize money on the line, but the teenager held his nerve.
It’s clear that Gukesh is an extraordinary talent, but this is not a romantic story about a lonely Ranger who surprises the world. Chennai GM sits atop a robust chess ecosystem that is one of the best, arguably the best, in the world.
