‘He sees the future’: What makes Gukesh Dommaraju a nightmare opponent in chess

Produced by: Manoj Kumar

Cold Heart

In clutch moments where grandmasters sweat bullets, Gukesh stays eerily calm—his heart rate clocked at just 74 BPM mid-match. While others panic, he plots with surgical precision.

Death Math

Dubbed a human calculator, Gukesh sees 15 moves ahead like it’s second nature. Coaches say he routinely finds lines most engines miss—making him a nightmare to surprise.

Rescue Artist

You think you’ve got him beat—and then he wriggles out, flips the board, and starts attacking. Gukesh’s resilience in lost positions forces rivals to play flawlessly or perish.

Endgame Killer

Nicknamed “The Endgame Surgeon,” he doesn’t just convert small advantages—he dissects them. One mistake late in the game and it’s already over.

Zen Focus

Gukesh plays in the now. No fretting over past blunders, no fantasizing about future victories—just a laser focus on the board in front of him, one move at a time.

Counterpunch King

Try to force your hand, and you’ll get slapped. Gukesh’s reactive style thrives on turning your aggression into his initiative. Defense becomes offense—and then domination.

Nerve Training

He didn’t just get lucky under pressure. Gukesh trained for time scrambles like an athlete trains for the final mile—repeating chaos until it became calm.

Scramble Slayer

When seconds tick and hands shake, Gukesh gets stronger. In time trouble, he plays with uncanny clarity—often flipping losing positions into brutal wins.

Kid Oracle

Vishy Anand called it early: Gukesh doesn’t just see the next move—he sees the next five plans. His strategic foresight makes veterans look short-sighted.