Indian chess grandmaster Gukesh Dommaraju has become a multi-millionaire following his world title win over China’s Ding Liren in Singapore last week.
The 18-year-old pocketed Rs11.45 crore ($1.8 million) as prize money, and an additional Rs5 crore as a present from Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin. In the days ahead, he is set to get more from sponsors and companies who want to hitch onto his winning bandwagon.
After taxes (the Indian government will probably give him a rebate), he will net at least a cool Rs15 crore, which should offset the considerable expenses his parents had to foot as he progressed up the ladder in world chess.
For his Singapore outing, Gukesh had Polish grandmaster Grzegorz Gajewski as his trainer and South African Paddy Upton, who has done wonders with the Indian cricket and hockey teams, as a mental coach. Both cost a hefty package.
“I’ve been dreaming about this moment since I started my chess journey at about seven... but the dream was probably bigger for them than it was for me,” Gukesh said about his parents Rajnikanth and Padma Kumari after he bagged the world title at the Equarius Hotel on Sentosa on Dec 12.
His father quit his job as a surgeon in 2018 to accompany him to chess tournaments, while his mother worked as a microbiologist to support the family.
“We were not a very well-off family, so they faced a lot of financial struggles though I didn’t realise it at the time,” said the Chennai-born player whose family hails from Chenchuraju Kandriga in Andhra Pradesh’s Tirupati district.
“At some point in 2017 and 2018, we were running so low on money that my parents’ friends sponsored me. My parents had to make many lifestyle changes just for me to play tournaments... My whole journey is not just for me. I love them both.”
Mr Rajinikanth was with Gukesh in Singapore throughout. His mother, grandmother and other relatives joined him after he beat Ding.
To fully appreciate the sacrifices his parents made, we need to go back to 2013, when Gukesh developed a fascination for chess. In his home city, he watched Norwegian Magnus Carlsen wrest the world title from Indian great Vishwanathan Anand. The seven-year-old then said to himself: “I want to bring the title back to India.”
As his skill in the game grew, his mother noticed his ability to attack strategically at a remarkably fast rate. To support his talent, his parents agreed for him to leave his studies behind after Class IV (Primary 2) and devote himself full-time to chess.
The Chennai prodigy achieved the title of grandmaster at age 12. But at that time, with no sponsors, funding was a problem – Mr Rajinikanth quit his job to travel around the world with Gukesh on a shoestring budget. They often slept on floors and on chairs in airports to save money on accommodation.
On one occasion, as has been well documented, his father borrowed a bike from a hotel and pedalled some 10km in freezing temperatures to take Gukesh to a tournament.
Gukesh’s mother assumed the mantle of breadwinner for the family. But, with money running low, they often had to ask family and friends for support. A few crowd-funding initiatives and Gukesh’s prize-money also helped.
“Every parent would do the same,” said Mr Rajinikanth. “If you see that your child has talent in something, it is your duty to allow him or her to flourish. That’s all we did.”
Gukesh’s mother told ChessBase India a few months ago that they never forced anything on their only child. “We allowed him to take up his passion,” she said. “For us, one thing was sure – that Gukesh was not going to waste time. He worked hard and showed results.”
Upton, who mentored Gukesh for six months before the world championship, said: “Gukesh is not only a chess world champion, he is a world-class human being first.”
From the beginning, his mother impressed on him the need to always be humble. The first four things Gukesh (the name means conqueror of the universe, according to his mother) did after winning the world title were: reset the chess board, thank God, hug his father and trainer, and praise Ding’s efforts.
Times Now reported that Gukesh’s net worth is now an estimated Rs20 crore, jumping from Rs8.26 crore at the beginning of the year. He was also gifted a Mercedes after becoming world champion.
The family’s financial burdens appear to have eased, with years of struggle, sacrifice and self-belief finally paying off.
