Dream fulfilled, less privacy – D Gukesh's life after World C'ship win

Gukesh Dommaraju etched his name in the annals of chess history when he became the youngest ever to win the World Chess Championship in December last year, surpassing Garry Kasparov.

Gukesh, 18, got the better of China's Ding Liren in a dramatic final game to become only the 18th world champion in classical chess.

"It was certainly a cool moment," Gukesh said to Take Take Take, reflecting on his win. "It was like my childhood dream had come true.

"For a few days, I was quite excited and happy. And then it settled down, I moved on to the next tournaments and started preparing. It is nice that everything went like a dream," he added.

Gukesh has shot to fame back home in India. Fans running around for pictures and autographs, brands wanting him to sell their products, life has been on a fast track for the teenager.

"In certain ways, yes [if life has changed since his win]," said Gukesh. "There's more attention now back home. There's less privacy at home. I mean, in a sense that like when I go out on streets, it's not the same as before."

"But in the way that I see myself or I see where my career is, nothing has changed. Still want to improve and do a lot more things," he added.

Since the world championship win almost two months back, Gukesh is already back playing over the board. He finished a heartbreaking second-best to compatriot Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu at the 2025 Tata Steel Chess in Wijk aan Zee, Netherlands, and is currently playing at the 2025 Freestyle Chess Grand Slam in Weissenhaus, Germany.

"Playing or not playing is not a question. I surely want to play. And I just want to achieve a lot more things," Gukesh concluded.