📘 IAS Prelims 2025 — GS-I | Q.100 | Classroom Explanation
(Sports | Art & Culture | Contemporary Icons)

📌 Question

Q.100)
Consider the following statements:

I. In the finals of the 45th Chess Olympiad (2024), Gukesh Dommaraju became the world’s youngest winner after defeating the Russian player Jan Nepomniachtchi.
II. Abhimanyu Mishra, an American chess player, holds the record of becoming the world’s youngest-ever Grandmaster.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

(a) I only
(b) II only
(c) Both I and II
(d) Neither I nor II

✅ Correct Answer: (b) II only

🧑‍🏫 Classroom Explanation

This question cleverly mixes three different chess events—
♟️ Chess Olympiad,
♟️ World Chess Championship, and
♟️ Grandmaster record—
to test conceptual clarity.

🔍 Statement-wise Breakdown

🔹 Statement I ❌

“Gukesh became world’s youngest winner at the 45th Chess Olympiad after defeating Jan Nepomniachtchi.”

❌ Incorrect

Why?

• The 45th Chess Olympiad (2024) was a team event
• India won Gold in:
  • 🥇 Open category
  • 🥇 Women’s category
• Final opponent: Slovenia, not Russia
• Olympiad does not crown a world champion

📌 UPSC Trap

Olympiad ≠ World Championship
Team event ≠ Individual title

👉 Correct fact:

• Gukesh became youngest World Chess Champion by defeating Ding Liren (China)
• Event: World Chess Championship 2024
• Venue: Sentosa Island, Singapore

🔹 Statement II ✅

“Abhimanyu Mishra is the youngest Grandmaster in history.”

✅ Correct

Key facts:

• 🇺🇸 American chess prodigy
• Became Grandmaster on 4 July 2021
• Age: 12 years, 4 months, 25 days
• Broke record of Sergey Karjakin
• Achieved final GM norm in Budapest

📌 Prelims Gold

“Youngest GM” is a static + current affairs hybrid fact

🧠 One-Line Memory Hook

“Gukesh = youngest World Champion (vs Ding).
Abhimanyu = youngest Grandmaster.”

♟️ Value-Addition Note (IMPORTANT)

🔓 Bobby Fischer’s Random Chess | Chess960 | ‘Free Chess’ Movement

UPSC increasingly rewards cultural depth beyond scores & winners.

🧠 What is Fischer Random Chess (Chess960)?

• Invented by Bobby Fischer (former World Champion)
• Also called Chess960
• Key idea:
  • Back-rank pieces are randomly arranged (960 possible positions)
  • Pawns remain unchanged
• Objective:
  • ❌ Kill rote memorisation
  • ✅ Restore creativity & intuition

📌 Fischer’s famous line:

“Chess is getting ruined by memorisation.”

🎨 Why it matters (Art & Culture angle)

• Encourages:
  • Original thinking
  • Pattern recognition
  • Over-the-board creativity
• Seen as “Free Jazz of Chess”
• Blends sport + art + cognition

👑 Magnus Carlsen & the Revival

• Magnus Carlsen openly champions Chess960
• Multiple-time World Fischer Random Champion
• Reduced participation in classical World Championship cycles
• Believes: “Creativity matters more than preparation.”

📌 Trend Alert
UPSC may test:

• Evolution of sports formats
• Creativity vs algorithmic dominance
• Human intuition in AI era

📍 GS Mapping

Evolution of Games as Cultural Expression

GS Paper I

Culture & Sports

Contemporary Personalities