All India Chess Federation Awards D Gukesh ₹1 crore; ₹50 Lakh For Koneru Humpy

Youngest World Champion Dommaraju Gukesh was awarded ₹1 crore while World Rapid Chess Champion Koneru Humpy received ₹50 Lakh from the All India Chess Federation.

New Delhi: The All India Chess Federation (AICF) today felicitated newly-crowned world champion Gukesh Dommaraju, who became the youngest ever to win the title. To become the undisputed king of chess, Gukesh defeated China’s Ding Liren in a dramatic 14-match encounter held in Singapore last December. Gukesh, at 18, is only the second Indian to hold the prestigious world title after five-time champion Viswanathan Anand. To honour this historic achievement, the AICF announced a cash prize of ₹1 crore for Gukesh and ₹50 Lakh for his support team.

The AICF also felicitated India’s No.1 women’s chess player Koneru Humpy who recently won the 2024 FIDE Women’s World Rapid Chess Championships. This was the second time that she won the world-class event. The 37-year-old beat Irene Sukandar to bag the title.

Koneru was rewarded with ₹50 Lakh, while R Vaishali Rameshbabu who won the Bronze medal in the women's section of the 2024 FIDE World Blitz Chess Championship, was also awarded ₹20 Lakh.

These incredible victories by Indian Grandmasters herald the golden era for Indian chess. In 2024, the Indian Grandmasters dominated the world of chess. They recorded a milestone victory by winning Gold at the FIDE Chess Olympiad held in Hungary, following which the AICF rewarded the winners with an ₹3.2 crore cash bonanza.

Congratulating the incredible success, Nitin Narang, President of AICF said, "It is an incredibly proud moment for us to watch our prodigies go on to conquer the world of chess. Gukesh's grit, your perseverance, patience and never letting it go is what is behind who you are today, the youngest ever world champion."

The felicitation ceremony in New Delhi, held on the eve of the National Awards ceremony, where Gukesh will be conferred with the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna award, also saw the federation honour his parents.

Being recognized for his incredible success, an emotional Gukesh said, "2024 was a big year for Chess. We received a lot of support from fans, media and the federation. We achieved several laurels and with continuous support, we will see many players take up chess and grow it with more medals. I am sure 2025 will be even better."

Humpy too expressed her gratitude to the federation and said, "It is a proud moment for us, this medal belongs to our motherland. I feel blessed that AICF has recognised our talent and hard work. Most of the time we look at cricket as a major sport. We have a lot of talent in our country and youngsters are keen to make a mark. We are moving forward to win more medals for the country."