D Gukesh to be awarded Khel Ratna: Were rules bent to nominate the 18-year-old chess champion?

After an extraordinary run in 2024, the year 2025 began on a magical note for Indian Grandmaster D Gukesh as he was announced as one of four recipients of the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award . Gukesh had become the youngest champion in the history of the Candidates Tournament as well as the World Championship last year besides starring in India’s historic Chess Olympiad campaign. And at the very beginning of 2025, he gets nominated for the country’s highest sporting honour.

However, did the Sports Ministry follow rules when it came to awarding Gukesh the Khel Ratna? That is something that some sections of the Indian sporting fraternity has been asking ever since the government unveiled the list of names for this year’s National Sports Awards.

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Has the government followed rules in nominating D Gukesh for the Khel Ratna?

As per the Sports Ministry rules, an athletes’ achievements for the last four years is taken into consideration when it comes to approving his/her name for the Khel Ratna. This time period begins from January of Year 1 to September of Year 4. Additionally, an athlete will have to enter his/her name for the award no later than 11.59 pm on 14 November.

Also Read | How athletes are selected for Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award

The eligible time period thus excludes Gukesh’s key achievements – from his red-hot run in the Chess Olympiad in Budapest to becoming the youngest world champion in the history of the sport with his 7-5.6-5 victory over China’s Ding Liren in Singapore. What’s more, Gukesh was yet to be crowned the world champion when he had entered his name for the prestigious award.

Had Gukesh waited for some more time and entered his name later this year, he would have been considered an automatic favourite for the award given the time period taken into consideration would have included all of his major achievements including his incredible feats in Budapest and Singapore.

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As of now, Gukesh is being awarded the Khel Ratna technically on the basis of his victory in the Candidates Tournament in Toronto in April last year as well as for dislodging Viswanathan Anand as the top-ranked Indian player after 37 years and for helping India win bronze in the 2022 Chess Olympiad in Chennai.

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However, the fact that he was considered for the award basis these achievements over several medallists in the Paris Olympics and Paralympics is what has raised eyebrows.

Additionally, a report on The Times Of India states that neither Gukesh nor the All India Chess Federation (AICF) applied for the award, meaning the sports ministry must have exercised its right to nominate a sportsperson it believes is deserving of the award keeping the corresponding time period in mind. Although, in this case, the government might have got a bit carried away by Gukesh’s recent achievements and entered his name without cross-checking.