The All India Chess Federation (AICF) today congratulated newly-crowned world champion Gukesh Dommaraju, the youngest to achieve the feat. To establish himself as the undisputed king of chess, Gukesh vanquished China’s Ding Liren in a sensational 14-match showdown staged in Singapore last December.

The 18-year-old Gukesh is only the second Indian to win the coveted world title after five-time champion Viswanathan Anand. In celebration of this monumental victory, AICF placed a cash reward of Rs 1 crore for Gukesh and 50 Lakh for his support team.

The AICF also congratulated India’s No.1 player in women’s chess Koneru Humpy after her recent victory at the 2024 FIDE Women’s World Rapid Chess Championships. It was also the second time she won the world-class event.

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Koneru was rewarded with Rs 50 Lakh, whereas R Vaishali Rameshbabu who won the Bronze medal in the women’s section of the 2024 FIDE World Blitz Chess Championship, was awarded Rs 20 Lakh.

These incredible victories by Indian Grandmasters herald the golden era for Indian chess. In 2024, the Indian Grandmasters dominated the world of chess. They recorded a milestone victory by winning Gold at the FIDE Chess Olympiad held in Hungary, following which the AICF rewarded the winners with an Rs 3.2 crore cash bonanza.

Nitin Narang, President of AICF congratulated Gukesh and said, “It is an incredibly proud moment for us to watch our prodigies go on to conquer the world of chess. Gukesh’s grit, your perseverance, patience and never letting it go is what is behind who you are today, the youngest ever world champion.”

An emotional Gukesh said, “2024 was a big year for Chess. We received a lot of support from fans, media and the federation. We achieved several laurels and with continuous support, we will see many players take up chess and grow it with more medals. I am sure 2025 will be even better.”

Humpy too expressed her gratitude to the federation and said, “It is a proud moment for us, this medal belongs to our motherland. I feel blessed that AICF has recognised our talent and hard work. Most of the time we look at cricket as a major sport. We have a lot of talent in our country and youngsters are keen to make a mark. We are moving forward to win more medals for the country.”

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