The 18-year-old chess prodigy D Gukesh’s rise to superstardom has not only brought him global recognition but also a significant paycheck. The World Champion is reported to have earned over $1.5 million in the last year, surpassing the annual salary of the President of the United States.
As Chess.com reports, Gukesh’s winnings of the year run close to $15,77,842 – that is Rs 13.6 crore almost. He is in a very select group of chess players who earned more than a million dollars over the year. In comparison, the US President earns $400,000 annually as salary, though there are separate allowances for travelling and entertainment, Gukesh’s earnings, theoretically, seem to have raced ahead of US President’s remuneration during the last calendar year.
Significantly, this prize amount does not account for the cash prizes that Gukesh won through various state governments and benefactors. This chess star, an 18-year-old boy, has been touted to be the year’s biggest winner. It actually tops world-ranked giants such as Ding Liren and Alireza Firouzja and even world chess champion Magnus Carlsen.
The monumental win in December last year made Gukesh the youngest world chess champion by defeating Chinese GM Ding Liren in Game 14 of the World Chess Championships. Gukesh became the 18th GM and only the second Indian after Viswanathan Anand to win the prestigious title.
Despite his historical victory, Gukesh remains unsatisfied. He already aims for the next target: meeting Magnus Carlsen, the chess world’s grandmaster, with whom Gukesh has not even had a checkmate in his career.
