Did You Know?

• In the quarter finals of the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam played in Germany, Gukesh's pulse rate remained below 80 beats per minute (BPM) even at critical moments while for his opponent it reached 124 BPM at a certain point.

• Sivakarthikeyan, Gukesh's favourite actor, gave him the gift of a luxury watch after his big win in December 2024.

• The longest chess game possible can have 5,949 moves!

Gukesh Dommaraju is a well-researched biography of the Indian chess prodigy who became the youngest world champion in 2024, beating the record of the legendary chess player Garry Kasparov. This inspirational account of the life, training and struggles of a world champion at eighteen highlights his dedication and mental strength, the contributions of his mentors and the sacrifices of his parents.

With a brief history of chess, its rules and famous moves, quick profiles of the world's greatest chess players, anecdotes and trivia, this intriguing starter will smooth away one's entry into the most popular cerebral pastime that originated in India.