 "Gukesh is of Telugu descent and was born and raised in Chennai, however, there are differing opinions over his origins because of his family's connections to Andhra Pradesh. PTI")
Gukesh Dommaraju’s victory at the World Chess Championship on Thursday is an important feat in the chess world.
With his incredible victory, he became the youngest undisputed World Chess Champion in history.
But the 18-year-old’s triumph has also sparked a bitter credit-war between two Indian states – Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu.
Here’s what happened.
The state rivalry
Tamil Nadu’s Chief Minister MK Stalin set the ball rolling on Thursday after sharing a post on X, congratulating Gukesh. He declared that the victory solidified Chennai’s status as the “global Chess Capital.”
His tweet included a picture of him placing a gold medal around Gukesh’s neck, adding, “Tamil Nadu is proud of you.” Stalin later also announced a Rs 5 crore cash prize for D Gukesh in recognition of his historic achievement.
But as soon as Stalin posted his message, Andhra Pradesh CM N Chandrababu Naidu, did the same, calling Gukesh “our very own Telugu boy.”
“Heart congratulations to our very own Telugu boy, Indian Grandmaster Gukesh, on scripting history in Singapore by becoming the world’s youngest chess champion at just 18! The entire nation celebrates your incredible achievement. Wishing you many more triumphs and accolades in the decades to come,” Naidu wrote.
Interestingly, there have been chess champions in both Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu in the past.
From the Andhra Pradesh, notable figures in the chess field include Koneru Humpy, Pentala Harikrishna, and Harika Dronavalli, while Viswanathan Anand and Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa are from Tamil Nadu.
V Varshini and Arjun Erigasi are from Telangana.
The debate over Gukesh’s identity
Gukesh is of Telugu descent and was born and raised in Chennai, however, there are differing opinions over his origins because of his family’s connections to Andhra Pradesh.
His parents are both medical professionals with strong ties to the Telugu-speaking region, which adds to the controversy about his “actual” identity.
On the internet, a dispute over his origins and ancestry quickly escalated into a wider debate over language and ethnicity, much of which is rooted in the southern states’ shared history.
Numerous people pointed out that the chess star has received substantial financial support from Tamil Nadu, with a netizen even sharing a screenshot of a news report published in April that the government had gifted him Rs 75 lakh.
Another one defended Tamil Nadu’s claim, saying, “Gukesh is a Tamilian. Just like i am one. Tamil Nadu’s chess culture, Tamil Nadu’s infra and Tamil Nadu was instrumental in his success. No other state can take credit. Not that it matters. He is an Indian. But finding his ancestry and caste in some part of the country is funny.”
However, not everyone agreed to this.
One user responded, “State is not equal to ethnicity of language… U r a Telugu from Tamil Nadu, so is Gukesh…” and also referred to the United States’ incoming Second Lady, Usha Vance, an American citizen of Telugu heritage.
However, ‘The Telugu Collective’ provided perhaps the most compelling justification of his identity.
“Tamilian is an ethnicity: it’s something one must be born into… If your parents are not Tamil but you live in Tamil Nadu, you are a Tamil Naduite… Gukesh is a Telugu by ethnicity, born to Telugu parents. He is not a Tamilian. However, as a resident of Tamil Nadu, he is a Tamil Nadu domicile Telugu.”
Who is Gukesh Dommaraju?
Gukesh Dommaraju was born in Chennai in 2006.
He began learning chess at the age of seven and became a Grandmaster at the age of 12.
Last year, he surpassed Vishwanathan Anand in becoming India’s top-ranked chess player.
Gukesh became the youngest undisputed world champion in chess history after defeating China’s Ding Liren in an intense 14-day match in Singapore.
By doing this, he broke the record held by the legendary Russian chess player Garry Kasparov and, at the age of 18, became the youngest global chess champion.
The young genius considered the desire that had driven him for over a decade as he clinched his victory: “This dream that I had more than 10 years ago has been the most important thing in my life so far.”
“I am happy that I realised the dream (and made it) into reality," he told reporters after the historic triumph in Singapore.
With inputs from agencies