UPSC Prelims 2025Question 100Miscellaneous

Consider the following statements:
I. In the finals of the 45th Chess Olympiad held in 2024, Gukesh Dommaraju became the world's youngest winner after defeating the Russian player Ian Nepomniachtchi.
II. Abhimanyu Mishra, an American chess player, holds the record of becoming world's youngest ever Grandmaster.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Options

Correct answer: b

Decision rule

The Chess Olympiad is a team event with no individual final; any statement crediting a player with winning it by beating a named opponent fails.

(b) II only

Let’s analyze each statement related to recent chess records and events:

Incorrect
The 45th Chess Olympiad in 2024 was a team event, and no individual player wins the overall Olympiad.
While Gukesh Dommaraju is a young chess prodigy from India, he did not become the world’s youngest winner by defeating Ian Nepomniachtchi in an Olympiad final.
Nepomniachtchi remains a top Russian grandmaster, but there was no such direct final match with Gukesh that fits this description.

Correct
Abhimanyu Mishra became the youngest Grandmaster in chess history at the age of 12 years, 4 months, and 25 days, breaking the previous record held by Sergey Karjakin.
This record is well-recognized internationally.

Aspect	Details
Chess Olympiad	A biennial team event where countries compete; no individual world champion crowned.
Gukesh Dommaraju	Indian chess prodigy, one of the youngest grandmasters but not the youngest world champion.
Abhimanyu Mishra	American chess player; youngest Grandmaster at 12 years 4 months (record as of 2021).
Ian Nepomniachtchi	Russian Grandmaster, former World Chess Championship challenger.

Term	Explanation
Grandmaster (GM)	Highest title awarded by FIDE to chess players, requiring achievement of norms and ratings.
Chess Olympiad	International team chess championship organized by FIDE every two years.
Youngest Grandmaster Record	Previously held by Sergey Karjakin before being broken by Abhimanyu Mishra.
World Chess Champion	Title awarded to winner of the World Chess Championship, an individual match event.

Abhimanyu Mishra’s record remains significant as the youngest GM in history.
Gukesh Dommaraju continues to rise in rankings and is a prominent young player from India.

Concept / Term	Explanation / Relevance
Chess Olympiad	A biennial international team chess championship organized by FIDE; teams compete, not individuals.
Gukesh Dommaraju	Indian chess prodigy, one of the youngest grandmasters; notable for rapid rise but not world champion at Olympiad.
Abhimanyu Mishra	American chess player; holds the record as the youngest ever Grandmaster (12 years, 4 months, 25 days).
Grandmaster (GM)	Highest official chess title awarded by FIDE, requiring performance norms and minimum rating.
Ian Nepomniachtchi	Russian grandmaster; former World Chess Championship challenger.
World Chess Champion	Title awarded to the winner of the World Chess Championship match, an individual event separate from Olympiad.
Youngest Grandmaster Record	Previously held by Sergey Karjakin, broken by Abhimanyu Mishra.
Team vs Individual Events	Chess Olympiad is a team competition; individual world titles are separate events.
FIDE (Fédération Internationale des Échecs)	The international chess federation that governs titles, ratings, and official events.