Have a look at the family and parents of Gukesh D
Young Indian Grandmaster D. Gukesh is making headlines following his historic victory at the Candidates Tournament, however, his remarkable journey to the top is a testament to the sacrifices made by his parents.
They put their careers on hold, dipped into their savings, and even turned to crowd-funding to support his chess ambitions.
Who are the parents of Indian chess player Gukesh D and more about his father and mother
For the unversed, at the age of 17, Gukesh secured victory at the Candidates Chess Tournament in Toronto on Monday, becoming the youngest challenger for the world chess title, breaking a record set by Garry Kasparov four decades ago.
However, reaching this point wasn’t easy, it required significant sacrifices from Gukesh and his parents, ENT surgeon Dr. Rajinikanth and microbiologist Padma.
🇮🇳 Gukesh D wins the #FIDECandidates 2024 and the right to challenge the reigning World Champion 🇨🇳 Ding Liren for the title! 🏆
Congratulations! 👏
📷 Michal Walusza pic.twitter.com/MYvnJ48VtZ
— International Chess Federation (@FIDE_chess) April 22, 2024
About Gukesh
Dommaraju Gukesh, widely known as D. Gukesh, was born in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India on May 29, 2006. He is a Grandmaster in Indian chess.
He Is a prodigy and the third-youngest player to earn the Grandmaster title, the third-youngest to reach a chess rating of 2700, the youngest to surpass a rating of 2750, and the youngest to win the Candidates Tournament.
By winning the 2024 Candidates Tournament, Gukesh became the youngest player to qualify for the World Chess Championship.
Gukesh’ Parents
According to reports, Gukesh’s parents are originally from the Godavari Delta region in Andhra Pradesh. His father, Rajinikanth, is an ENT (Ear, Nose, and Throat) surgeon, while his mother, Padma, is a microbiologist.
He started playing chess when he was seven years old. He attended Velammal Vidyalaya School in Mel Ayanambakkam, Chennai.
Dr. Rajinikanth halted his medical practice in 2017-2018 to travel the world with Gukesh on a tight budget as the young prodigy pursued his final GM norm. During this time, Padma became the primary breadwinner, managing household expenses while her son chased his chess dreams.
Earlier in an interview, Gukesh’s childhood coach Vishnu Prasanna revealed that “His parents have sacrificed a lot.” Describing D. Gukesh’s parent’s sacrifice, Vishnu remarked, “His father has nearly given up on his career, his mother has been providing for the family as his father has been traveling, so they rarely get to see each other.”
For the unfamiliar, Gukesh earned the title of India’s youngest Grandmaster at the tender age of 12, in January 2019. Although he was from a family of doctors, his heart was set on the 64 squares of the chessboard.
Recognizing his dedication, his parents chose to let him pursue his passion by pulling him out of full-time school after he completed Class IV.
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