D Gukesh, the reigning World Chess Champion who triumphed over Ding Liren in Singapore last year, visited the Tirumala Temple in Andhra Pradesh to seek blessings and shaved his head as part of the ritual.
New Delhi: World Chess Champion D Gukesh recently paid a visit to the famous Tirumala Temple in Andhra Pradesh with his family. The accomplished young player, who has achieved significant milestones in his career, sought blessings at the temple, which is recognized for its spiritual importance.
In keeping with tradition, Gukesh decided to shave his head during his visit. This trip to the temple emphasized his spiritual nature and reinforced his ties to his heritage.
Last year, Gukesh made news by becoming the youngest player to win the world chess championship, where he triumphed over China’s Ding Liren in the final held in Singapore. Recently, he reached a personal milestone by attaining his highest career ranking of No. 3 in the FIDE rankings, having gained 10 points to bring his total to 2787.
During his visit, the 18-year-old discussed the importance of hard work and building upon his achievements at the World Chess Championship.
“I have to keep working hard. In 2025 there are a lot of important tournaments, so I’m focusing on that. I want to improve in all formats, and hopefully, at some point with God’s grace, good things will happen,” Gukesh said.
Gukesh recently attended the India Today Conclave 2025, where he honored his parents, Rajnikanth and Padmakumari, by dedicating his world championship title to them.
Gukesh expressed that his parents wished to spare him from the difficulties they experienced in their own careers. He noted that the previous year was financially beneficial for his family, and he is happy that his parents are now able to live more comfortably.
“I’m really glad that I could do this for my parents. More than the financial aspect, because throughout my career, I think they did not allow me to realise the struggles that they were going through, but they did go through a lot of financial struggles, and I remember like when it was around 2018, 2019, we were basically playing tournaments. Basically, my parents’ friends were sponsoring me to play tournaments abroad, and it was quite difficult at that time, and we had a lot of help from very nice people and very selfless people who came forward to help,” Gukesh said.
In January, Gukesh surpassed fellow Indian Arjun Erigaisi to become the highest-ranked Indian in the FIDE Rankings. He achieved this milestone after securing his second victory in the Tata Steel Masters held in Wijk Aan Zee, Netherlands, by defeating Germany’s Vincent Keymer.
