Indian Chess Grand Master D. Gukesh is currently numero uno on the leaderboard of FIDE Circuit 2023. His current live ELO rating (2744.1) is less than 10 points lower than Indian No 1 Viswanathan Anand’s 2754. His fast-paced rise through the ranks is shared by only a few others. A comparison of Gukesh’s FIDE ratings over time shows that his rise to the elite is reminiscent of journeys undertaken by world number one Magnus Carlsen and the highest-rated junior player Alireza Firouzja. He is well ahead of his compatriots Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa, Nihal Sarin and Erigaisi Arjun and has registered a quicker path to the elite compared to other super GMs Fabiano Caruana, Hikaru Nakamura and Liren Ding.
Interestingly, the teenage sensation has much higher ratings points than Viswanathan Anand, when compared with his ratings during his “lightning kid” days.
