Abhimanyu Mishra Becomes Youngest Grandmaster, Beats Gukesh Dommaraju

World Champion Gukesh Dommaraju suffered his second consecutive defeat at the FIDE Grand Swiss on Tuesday, going down to Greece’s Nikolas Theodorou in the sixth round. In the previous round, the 18-year-old Indian had lost to American prodigy Abhimanyu Mishra, the youngest-ever Grandmaster.

Mishra, now 16, has been rewriting chess history from an early age. In 2021, at a Budapest event, he broke Sergey Karjakin’s record by becoming the youngest Grandmaster at 12 years, 4 months, and 25 days, surpassing the mark set in 2002. Before that, he also became the youngest-ever International Master (IM) in November 2019 at just 10 years, 9 months, and 20 days, a record previously held by India’s R Praggnanandhaa.

The American player with Indian roots is also the youngest to achieve a USCF rating of 2000, doing so at the age of 7 years, 6 months, and 22 days in 2016, breaking GM Awonder Liang’s record. In classical chess, Mishra holds another rare distinction—being the youngest player to defeat a reigning World Champion.

His rise, coaches say, has been built on relentless hard work. GM Arun Prasad, his main coach, is credited with sharpening his openings and middle game. GM Magesh Panchanathan, who has trained Mishra since he was five, highlighted the support of his father, Hemant Mishra, as a driving force.

“Abhi is one of the most hardworking kids I have ever seen. His work ethic comes directly from his dad, Hemant, who is one of the pillars behind his success,” said Panchanathan. “Arun has spent countless hours on his preparation, and that dedication shows in his achievements.”

As Gukesh looks to bounce back from consecutive defeats, Mishra’s steady rise continues to draw global attention in the chess world.