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- Published: January 17, 2025 16:40
New Delhi: The All India Chess Federation (AICF) today felicitated newly-crowned world champion Gukesh Dommaraju who created history by becoming the youngest-ever to win the prestigious event. To become the undisputed king of chess, Gukesh defeated China’s Ding Liren in a dramatic 14-match encounter held in Singapore last December. Gukesh, at 18, is only the second Indian to hold the prestigious world title after Viswanathan Anand. To honour this historic achievement, the AICF announced a cash prize of INR 1 crore for Gukesh and 50 Lakh for his support team.
The AICF also felicitated India’s No.1 women’s chess player Koneru Humpy who recently won the 2024 FIDE Women’s World Rapid Chess Championships. This was the second time that she won the world-class event. The 37-year-old beat Irene Sukandar to bag the title.
Koneru was rewarded with INR 50 Lakh, while R Vaishali Rameshbabu who won the Bronze medal in the women’s section of the 2024 FIDE World Blitz Chess Championship, was also awarded INR 20 Lakh.
These incredible victories by Indian Grand Masters herald the golden era for Indian chess. In 2024, the Indian Grand Masters 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 INR 3.2 crore cash bonanza.
Congratulating the incredible success, Nitin Narang, President of AICF 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, your patience and never letting it go is what is behind who you are today, the youngest ever world champion.”
Echoing the President’s views, Secretary General of AICF, Dev Patel said, “Let me take this opportunity to thank the players, families as well. Rajnikanth Sir, Ma’am, you have sacrificed a lot to bring Gukesh to this level. And without your hard work, I am sure it was not even possible. I know some days will be very hard, it is not easy. And we respect that and we thank you a lot. And Humpy as a mother, the thought of your daughter was always at the back of your mind. And family comes first. And we thank you for all your sacrifices and everything that you have done for the country. And brought great pride for us.”
The felicitation ceremony in New Delhi held on the eve of the National Awards ceremony where Gukesh will be conferred with Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna award, also saw his parents being honoured by the federation.
Being recognized for his incredible success, 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 the continuous support, we will see many players take up chess and grow it with more medals. I am sure 2025 will be even better.”
Like Gukesh, Humpy too expressed her gratitude to the federation and said, “It is a proud moment for us, this medal belongs to our mother land. I feel blessed that AICF has recognised our talent and hardwork. 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.”