Nine-year-old Gukesh

It is not widely known that, as a nine-year-old, Gukesh Dommaraju participated in the Malaysia Chess Festival in 2015. Having left school to pursue chess full-time, Gukesh arrived in Kuala Lumpur with his parents in tow. Already a Candidate Master at the time, he competed in both the flagship IGB Arthur Tan Memorial Malaysia Open and the Swensen Age-Group Chess Tournament (Under-10 section).

In the Malaysia Open, he faced players who were not only far more experienced but often physically towering compared to himself. Undeterred, Gukesh battled them on equal footing, finishing a respectable 101st out of 138 participants. In the Under-10 age-group event with 145 players, he emerged triumphant, taking first place.

A lot has changed for Gukesh since 2015, he has achieved his dreams, but I wonder if he still remembers his early adventures here in Malaysia all those years ago. We’d love to have him back!

#Gukesh