Tamil Or Telugu? Fight Over Chess Champ Gukesh's Heritage

Gukesh Dommaraju's historic World Chess Championship win Thursday - the 18-year-old is the world's youngest ever chess champ - has triggered a battle for credit between Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, with the chief ministers of both the states claiming him as their own.

Tamil Nadu's MK Stalin set the ball rolling. At 7.25 pm Today, the DMK leader posted on X, saying Gukesh's "remarkable achievement... helps Chennai reaffirm its place as the global Chess Capital by producing yet another champion". "Tamil Nadu is proud of you," Stalin said, sharing a photograph of himself placing a gold medal around the young champion's neck.

Two minutes later came the tweet from Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu. "Hearty congratulations to our very own Telugu boy..." the TDP boss said. "The entire nation celebrates your incredible achievement. Wishing you many more triumphs and accolades in the decades to come," Naidu said and signed off with a headshot of Gukesh.

A battle to claim his origin and ancestry has erupted online - and swiftly devolved into a larger debate on ethnicity and language, much of which is a shared history within the southern states.

Gukesh Dommaraju is of Telugu heritage, but was born and brought up in Chennai. His parents, reports indicate, are both medical professionals. His interest in chess developed relatively late, but his talent soon became obvious and a young Gukesh, then only eight, became a FIDE-rated player.

Suspicious, Requires Investigation

While most of the chess fraternity is elated to see Gukesh make history, Russian Chess Federation chief Andrei Filatov has accused China's Liren of losing the game on purpose. Russian news agency TASS quoted Filatov asking the International Chess Federation (FIDE) to open a probe and investigate the result. "The result of the last game caused bewilderment among professionals and chess fans. The actions of the Chinese chess player in the decisive segment are extremely suspicious and require a separate investigation by FIDE," he said.