World chess champion D Gukesh's mother recalls 'tough call' of not sending him to school: 'We doubted ourselves'

Indian Grandmaster D Gukesh recently scripted history after he became only the second player from the country to win the World Chess Championship crown . That victory would not have been possible without his parents, who have been with Gukesh through thick and thin.

Gukesh’s commitment to playing chess professionally led to the 18-year-old dropping outing of school after the fourth or fifth grade, a decision which according to his mother Padma Kumari was a tough one.

D Gukesh Exclusive | ‘A childhood dream pushed us to World Chess Championship victory’

“There are many critical moments when we doubted ourselves. I don’t know how to say it exactly. Whenever he didn’t play well, we used to wonder whether we had made the right decision for him. He was very young, and it was our responsibility to make decisions for him. You know, he didn’t go to school after fourth or fifth grade,” Padma told ChessBase India.

“So, in India – or anywhere – it’s a big decision. For any child, not studying is risky. It was a risk-taking moment, deciding whether it was appropriate to stop his studies and put him fully into chess,” added Padma.

While she admitted that she and Rajnikanth, Gukesh’s father , were happy whenever he performed well, they doubted themselves whenever Gukesh failed to do well in tournaments.

‘We doubted ourselves’: Padma Kumari when Gukesh did not perform well 

“Whenever he achieved something or his rating improved, we felt happy, like we were on the right path. But as parents, whenever he didn’t do well in a tournament, we doubted ourselves—not Gukesh, but our decision. This happened many times, especially during his younger days. But as he matured, we could see how disciplined and hardworking he was. That gave us confidence. We knew he would definitely come up,” she stated.

Padma recalled how despite the challenges, she trusted Gukesh and with all his hard work, along with the Almighty’s blessings, things went smoothly.

“Not sending him to school was such a tough call, and even now, many people say we took a risk. You know, choosing a different path—keeping him out of school and putting him fully into chess—came with so much uncertainty. Initially, we thought we’d wait till 8th grade and then decide. But even after 9th grade, we saw him showing improvement, so we kept going. By God’s grace, everything went well,” she said.

‘First time I feel we have made corect decision’: Padma Kumari 

“This (seeing Gukesh become the world chess champion) is the first time I feel we made the correct decision. He wouldn’t have been able to balance both school and chess. When you focus entirely on one thing—your passion—you can definitely shine,” she added.

Gukesh defeated China’s Ding Liren with a score of 7.5-6.5 in the World Chess Championship match to clinch the title last week. Gukesh also became the youngest-ever to win the tournament.

After winning the world title, Gukesh will skip the FIDE World Rapid & Blitz Championship that will take place New York from 26 to 31 December. The youngster will next be in action at the 2025 Tata Steel Chess tournament in Wijk aan Zee, Netherlands that will start on 17 January.