Gukesh D dethrones Vishy Anand to become India No.1 after 37 years

Grandmaster Gukesh D becomes India’s No .1 ranked chess player replacing the legendary Vishwanathan Anand. The 17-year-old teenager broke a 37-year streak of Anand being India’s number one chess player when FIDE, the governing body of international chess competitions, released its updated list on Friday.

Dommaraju Gukesh, better known as Gukesh D became the second youngest (now the third youngest) grandmaster when he was awarded the title in 2019.

He recently competed in the FIDE World Cup, where he lost in the quarterfinal to eventual champion Magnus Carlsen. After his performances in the World Cup, he jumped to a ranking of world no. 8, just ahead of Vishwanathan Anand in 9th. This is also the first time the Chennai-born prodigy has ever entered the top 10 of the FIDE rankings.

Anand slipped to 9th with a rating of 2754, while Gukesh managed to overtake the five-time world champion with a rating of 2758 to become India’s no. 1 chess player. Anand first took India’s number one spot all the way back in 1986, which means that Gukesh ended a 37-year streak after he replaced his idol to take the top spot.

During the Cup, Anand was asked about the prospect of losing the top spot. He replied:

"I feel very proud, and definitely I was able to give Gukesh a lot of suggestions, a lot of advice. It's still a shock to realise that something you expected to happen eventually, and you never define eventually in your mind, eventually means eventually, when it finally happens.”

He added:

“(I have) been waiting for a long time for this to happen. That's the thing about being semi-retired, that you're much more detached from it personally.”

The latest ranking showcases a revival of chess in India, with five being present in the world’s Top 30. Other than Gukesh and Anand, the recent World Cup finalist R Praggnanandhaa jumps to No. 19 with the Baku quarterfinalists, Vidit Gujrathi and Arjun Erigaisi also in the Top 30.