The World Chess Champion title is a heavy and prestigious one to bear and although there are many great minds in chess, there are only a select few who have found a place in the sun at a young age.
Here are the five youngest World Chess Champions in the world:
Gukesh Dommaraju (India)
Photo Credit: fide.com
In a dramatic finale, 18 year old D. Gukesh dethroned Ding Liren of China and became the youngest World Chess Champion in history, in 2024. Gukesh started playing chess at the age of 7, and got his first taste of success at the Under-9 section of the Asian School Chess Championships in 2015.
But 2023 was an eventful year for Gukesh when he unleashed himself to the world as the youngest player to reach a rating of 2750. The same year, he outperformed Viswanathan Anand as the top-ranked Indian chess player and clinched India’s first-ever Chess Olympiad gold.
Garry Kasparov (Russia)
Photo Credit: kasparov.com
Garry Kasparov was the youngest World Chess Champion at 22 years of age when he defeated Anatoly Karpov in 1985. He started playing chess at the age of 6 and at the age of 17, he became an international grandmaster in 1980. He was mentored by former world champion Mikhail Botvinnik.
In 1996, famously, Kasparov defeated an IBM custom built chess computer called Deep Blue. However, after an upgrade in 1997, the machine prevailed over Kasparov. He later retired from competitive chess in 2005.
Interestingly, he also started a political organisation called the United Civil Front to oppose President Vladimir Putin of Russia.
Magnus Carlsen (Norway)
Photo Credit: fide.com
Magnus Carlsen is a chess superstar who became the highest rated player at the age of 19. He has the highest Elo chess rating ever achieved by a human being – 2882. His father taught him how to play at the age of 5.
He made history by winning the FIDE World Chess Championship at the age of 22 years in 2013. Carlsen was only 13 when he drew Garry Kasparov and defeated Anatoly Karpov at the same event in 2004.
Mikhail Tal (Latvia-Soviet Union)
Photo Credit: fide.com
At the age of 16, Mikhail Tal became a national master and at the age of 20, he became an international grandmaster.
He became the youngest World Champion at the age of 23 years in 1960. His victory over Mikhail Botvinnik is still considered a key moment in chess history.
Anatoly Karpov (Russia)
Photo Credit: fide.com
Anatoly Karpov learned to play chess at the age of four. He became the World Champion in 1975 at the age of 23. His Elo rating was 2780 and was the highest rated player for 100 months.
Later on, he became a politician and served as a member of the State Duma for Tyumen Oblast’s Party List.
