Gukesh Dommaraju poses with trophy during a procession held to honor him on becoming the World youngest chess champion in Chennai, India, Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2024. (AP Photo)
The year 2024 was a big one for Gukesh Dommaraju. Not only did he become the youngest-ever winner of the Candidates tournament in April, he also ended the year as the youngest ever world champion in the history of chess after defeating Ding Liren in the World Chess Championship in Singapore.
But all of that success on the chess board also came with significant earnings as well.
A report on Chess.com has totalled the prize money that Gukesh earned in 2024 and pointed out that the 18-year-old made $15,77,842 (approximately Rs 13.6 crore) from prize winnings in 2024 alone. This is separate from the other earnings that Gukesh got in 2024, from state government (The Tamil Nadu government announced that it will give Gukesh Rs five crore for winning the World Championship), from endorsements and from other benefactors (his school Vellamal Vidyalaya famously gifted him a Mercedes-Benz E Class after winning the Candidates tournament).
The report also pointed out that 17 players including Gukesh won over $1,00,000 in 2024. This list had just two women, including India’s Humpy Koneru. Praggnanandhaa was ninth on the list with a prize money earning of $2,02,136 while Arjun Erigaisi was 15th with $1,19,767.
The Chess.com report pointed out: “(In 2024) two players won over a million dollars, six made $4,00,000—more than the President of the United States!—and 17 earned at least six figures.”
For the record, the US president is paid $4,00,000 a year (this figure is specified in Title 3 of the US Code) besides an additional $50,000 for expenses, $1,00,000 travel account and $19,000 entertainment budget.
Magnus Carlsen was the fourth-best money-maker in 2024 (from prize money alone), with Carlsen’s successor Ding Liren reaping the benefits of playing in the world championship to end second and Alireza Firouzja , who raked in about half his prize money from the Grand Chess Tour.
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