Hyderabad: Indian GrandMaster Dommaraju Gukesh had a memorable 2024. First, he became the youngest-ever winner of the candidate's tournament and qualified for the World Chess Championship. The year ended on the best note for the Indian chess star as he became the youngest-ever World Champion in chess history emerging triumphant against Ding Liren in World Chess Championship in Singapore.
Gukesh will also receive the Khel Ratna award for his incredible performance in the field of chess making the country proud with a stellar performance.
A report from Chess.com highlights the magnitude of achievements by Gukesh in 2024 with the total prize money earned in 2024. According to the report, Gukesh earned USD 15,77,842 which roughly amounts to INR 13.6 crore. The amount excludes the incentive Gukesh got from the Tamil Nadu government.
Magnus Carlsen was only 4th in terms of tournament prize winnings in 2024, while 3 players crossed $1 million in lifetime earnings for the 1st time, including Ju Wenjun! https://t.co/Na8KJ98QLH
— chess24 (@chess24com) January 9, 2025
Earlier, the Tamil Nadu government had announced that they would be giving Gukesh a sum of INR 5 crore for winning the World Championship. Gukesh's school, Vellamal Vidyalaya had gifted him a Mercedes-Benz E Class after he won the candidates tournament. Gukesh took part in eight major events in the past year. Ding Liren is placed at the second spot with an earning of USD 11,83,600.
The report further mentions that only a couple of players managed to win more than a million dollars in 2024 while there are six players who made USD 4,00,000.
The US President earns USD 4,00,000 on an annual basis. Also, he gets an additional amount of USD 19,000 for the entertainment budget, USD 1,00,000 for a travel account and USD 50,000 for expenses.
The report from Chess.com also mentions that a total of 17 players managed to win more than USD 1,00,000, Notably, the list has two women players including India’s Koneru Humpy.
R Praggnanandhaa is in the ninth position by earning USD 2,02,136 while Arjun Erigaisi is ranked 15th in the list with a sum of USD 1,19,767.
Former World Champion Magnus Carlsen is at the fourth rank with an amount of USD 6,33,369. The Norwegian participated in 11 major events.
