Gukesh stopped regular school at class IV, no sponsor, father quit job, mother had to…: Story of youngest world champ
Hindustan TimesD Gukesh was all of seven when he dreamed of becoming the world champion in chess. When the Indian grandmaster beat defending champion Ding Liren of China in a 14-game marathon that went right down to the wire to become only the second Indian after Vishwanathan Anand to win the coveted crown, it took some time for his father, Rajinikanth and mother Padma Kumari to believe. A fan takes a selfie with India's grandmaster Gukesh Dommaraju after his win against China's chess grandmaster Ding Liren The tears in Gukesh's eyes and the shock in his father's expression were the biggest proof. Gukesh's father quit job, mother became sole bread-earner The journey to the top hasn't been easy and has involved sacrifices not only from Gukesh but also from his parents. At some point in 2017 and 2018, we were running so low on money that my parents' friends Gukesh's chess journey started with one hour and thrice-a-week lessons in 2013, the year Viswanathan Anand lost his world title to Norwegian maverick Magnus Carlsen.