Billionaire Gautam Adani called teenager Gukesh Dommaraju — who became the youngest world chess champion by beating defending champion Ding Liren of China — a testament to India’s unstoppable youth.
The chess champion, along with his parents, met Adani in Ahmedabad.
“It was an absolute privilege to meet and hear the victory story of reigning World Chess Champion @DGukesh,” Adani, chairman of ports-to-energy Adani Group, said in a post on X.
Posting pictures with the teenager and his parents, Adani said, “Equally inspiring was meeting his incredible parents, Dr Rajinikanth and Dr Padmavathi, whose quiet sacrifices laid the foundation for his success.”
“At just 18, Gukesh’s poise and brilliance are a testament to India’s unstoppable youth. Prodigies like him are inspiring a new generation, building an army of champions ready to dominate global chess for decades. This is the confident, resurgent and rising India. Jai Hind!” he said.
Gukesh became the 18th world champion after defeating Ding in a 14-game match in Singapore last month.
He is four years younger than Garry Kasparov, who had been the youngest world champion since 1985 when he beat Anatoly Karpov.
On Thursday, Gukesh was among four athletes who the government decided to award the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna award — the country’s highest sporting honour.
Besides becoming the youngest-ever world champion, Gukesh also helped the Indian team win a historic gold in the Chess Olympiad last year.
“The awardees will receive their awards from the President of India at a specially organised function at Rashtrapati Bhavan on 17th January 2025 (Friday) at 1100 hours,” the sports ministry said in a press release on Thursday.
After the Singapore match, Adani had called his victory “stunning”.
“At just 18, @DGukesh has made history! What an achievement – the youngest-ever undisputed classical chess world champion, beating the great Ding Liren! This isn’t just a victory – it is a defining moment for India’s chess revolution, where an entire bold generation of champions dares to dream and inspires an entire nation to rise! Congratulations Gukesh!” he had said in a post on X on December 12.