India’s teen sensation, D Gukesh, scripted history by becoming the youngest world chess champion on Thursday. The 18-year-old beat defending champion Ding Liren of China in the 14th and last game of a thrilling final. Gukesh secured the requisite 7.5 points against 6.5 of Liren after winning the last classical time control game of the 14-game match that seemed headed for a draw for the most part.
Before Gukesh’s feat on Thursday, the legendary Garry Kasparov of Russia was the youngest world chess champion when he won the title at the age of 22, dethroning Anatoly Karpov in 1985. Gukesh entered the match as the youngest-ever challenger to the world crown after winning the Candidates tournament earlier this year.
He is the second Indian to win the global title after the legendary Viswanathan Anand. Anand, a five-time world champion, had last won the crown in 2013.
How much did D Gukesh earn by winning World Championship?
With this historical victory, Gukesh also took home a hefty prize money of whopping USD 1.3 million (approx ₹11.03 crore) from the 2.5 million prize purse.
In the 2024 World Chess Championship, which has a total prize pool of $2.5 million, each classical game win was valued at $200,000 (around ₹1.69 crore). Gukesh secured three victories, earning him a total of $600,000 (approximately ₹5.07 crore). Meanwhile, Liren won two games, bringing his winnings to $400,000 (about ₹3.38 crore).
The remaining $1.5 million in prize money will be divided equally between the players. This means Gukesh’s total earnings will amount to $1.35 million (around ₹11.45 crore), while Liren will take home $1.15 million (about ₹9.75 crore).
Where does Gukesh’s prize money rank compared to IPL top buys?
Although Gukesh walked away with a prize money of ₹11.45 crore from the World Championships, it is no match for some of the top picks of IPL 2025. In the mega auction that took place in Saudi Arabia last month, 13 cricketers were picked up at a price more than Gukesh’s prize money.
IPL auction’s highest-paid cricketer Rishabh Pant’s price was almost 2.5 times more than Gukesh’s prize money. Pant was sold for ₹27 crore – the highest-ever in IPL auction history – as the Lucknow Super Giants broke the bank for the India wicketkeeper-batter.
Gukesh’s victory, however, cannot be gauged by prize money. His achievement was another giant step towards pushing India’s claim of being the current superpower of chess.
