On 15 January 2019, at the age of 12 years, 7 months, and 17 days, he became the then second-youngest grandmaster in the history of the game, after Sergey Karjakin.

In the September 2023 rating list, Gukesh became the top-rated Indian player, surpassing Viswanathan Anand's 37-year record.

[4][5][6] His mother, Padmakumari, is a microbiologist, and his father, Rajinikanth, is an ENT surgeon who moved to Chennai to pursue his medical career.

[9] Gukesh's family hails from the village of Chenchuraju Kandriga, near Satyavedu in the Tirupati district of Andhra Pradesh.

[4][10] Gukesh learned to play chess in 2013, at the age of seven, and eventually began structured one-hour sessions three times a week.

[13] His extraordinary talent was recognized institutionally early on, and he became one of the many beneficiaries of the robust Indian chess ecosystem.

[18] On 15 January 2019, Gukesh became the then second-youngest grandmaster in the history of the game at the age of 12 years, 7 months, and 17 days, behind Sergey Karjakin.

[22] In August 2022, Gukesh won the individual gold medal on the first board in the open event at the 44th Chess Olympiad in Chennai with a score of 9 out of 11.

[26][27] During the Aimchess Rapid tournament in October 2022, Gukesh became the youngest to beat Magnus Carlsen, the reigning World Chess Champion at that time.

[1][2] In December 2023, Gukesh qualified for the 2024 Candidates Tournament, to be conducted to identify the challenger to Ding Liren for the World Chess Championship.

[33][34] In January 2024, Gukesh finished in a four-way tie for the first place in the Tata Steel Chess Tournament 2024 with a score of 8½ in 13 rounds.

[51] His style has also borne comparison with former world champion Anatoly Karpov's incremental, anaconda-like gains (so subtle that his opponent has no counter).