Gukesh awarded with Titan of the Year 2026

by Sagar Shah - 10/02/2026

Titan, a leading watch manufacturing company of India, has its annual award, the Titan of the Year award, which it confers to someone special each year. For the year 2026, they decided to choose the youngest world champion in the history of chess, Gukesh Dommaraju. On 6th of February, the event was held in Mumbai and we bring you some moments from the event in this article.

The entire Titan of the year event in the form of a vlog.

On 6th of February 2026, the world champion Gukesh came to Mumbai for a very special visit. He was going to be conferred the Titan of the Year 2026 award. Titan is India's top watch brand. The event was going to be held in St. Regis Hotel, one of the best hotels in Mumbai. This is the second year that Titan is giving this award. In 2025, the Titan of the Year award went to Rakesh Sharma, the first Indian to go into space. Titan also launched a special watch to celebrate this occasion - the Gukesh World Champion special edition watch.

Titan of the Year 2026 - D. Gukesh

A very special engraving made just for the watch of Gukesh

For Titan, the selection of Gukesh as the Titan of the Year was one done with a lot of thought behind it. Gukesh is someone who has made the country proud at a global stage, and he has done that with a lot of hard work, dedication, and will power. These are all the qualities that Titan wants to embody in itself as a brand.

Gukesh with Rahul Shukla, Vice President and Chief Sales & Marketing Officer - Titan Watches

A beautiful photo captured - Gukesh watching his parents on stage! | Photo: Ketaki Kulkarni

A very cool moment that took place during the entire event was when Aparna Ravi, the head of marketing of Titan, asked Gukesh's parents the secret of Gukesh's calmness and inquired whether Gukesh was always like this as a little kid. To which Rajnikanth replied that whenever he would come back from the hospital, there would always be a lot of noise that would be coming from the house, and one would imagine that it was Gukesh's mother who was actually disciplining the young boy. But on the contrary, it was Gukesh who was pulling his mother's hair or doing wrestling with her. When Rajnikanth shared this story, the entire crowd erupted into laughter and applause.

Rajinikanth and Padma Kumari along with Archana Ravi, the marketing head of Titan

Two chess dads - Ravindra Potawad, works at ChessBase India as an editor, is also father to Anirudhha Potawad with Rajinikanth! Ravindra had met Rajinikanth in several tournaments when both Anirudhha and Gukesh were growing up.

We also had a very special segment where Gukesh played blindfold against all the people in the crowd. While we went to each of the guests to suggest a move, Gukesh had the entire game in his mind and won it without much difficulty. Standing next to Gukesh is Ridhima Pathak, the host of the event.

Two very special guests who were present at the event were: Ravi Abhyankar (left) a chess lover and an old friend of Vishy Anand and Grandmaster Pravin Thipsay, the first GM from Mumbai and the 3rd Grandmaster of India

Just to show how small details were taken care of during the event, when Gukesh entered the room, he was given this cake made up of chess pieces with a very special note by the organizers and the hotel staff.

ChessBase India team members who were present at the event. (left to right): Sagar Shah, Neelkanth Kagathra, Aanchal Dhakar, Kartik Krishnan, Ravindra Potawad, Akshat Prajapati.

Ketaki, who is on the left in this picture, is the author and the illustrator of Chespa Meets Guki book. The book was launched almost a year ago, but Ketaki had never met Gukesh before. After watching hundreds of Gukesh's interviews, this was the first time that she got to meet him in person.

Gukesh was also kind enough to go through some of the most interesting pages of the book again and reminisce the days of him growing up.

Just in case you haven't got the ChessPa meets Guki book

Gukesh World Champion Special Edition Watch

Titan of the Year 2026 - Gukesh World Champion Special Edition Watch. This year, the Titan of the Year platform celebrates Gukesh Dommaraju, the youngest World Chess Champion - a symbol of focus, discipline and strategic brilliance. Inspired by the world of chess, this special edition timepiece embodies precision, foresight and the quiet confidence of a modern Indian icon.

At the heart of the design is a unique marquetry dial crafted from rare earth minerals - Tiger Eye and Agate. Set within a distinctive shaped case inspired by a chessboard square, the dial showcases intricate craftsmanship and layered texture, making every watch truly one of a kind. Look closely at the indices to discover a hidden tribute to the game of kings. The hour markers follow the pattern of chess moves - with the Queen at 12 O’clock, Rook at 9 O’clock, Bishop at 3 O’clock and King at 6 O’clock, while the remaining indices take the form of pawns.

The specially designed hands feature a Grandmaster trophy Knight counterpoise, reinforcing the chess-inspired identity in every detail. Powering this timepiece is the in-house Titan automatic movement 7A20, offering a 40-hour power reserve and 22 jewels for reliable performance and long-lasting precision.

A sapphire crystal on both the front and caseback ensures durability and allows a view of the custom rotor, engraved with a Knight motif and the message “Youngest World Chess Champion at 18". The watch is housed in a 316L stainless steel case and bezel, paired with a premium Italian calf leather strap finished with a butterfly buckle for comfort and refinement. Completing this collector’s edition is a personalised note signed by Gukesh, making it a true tribute to an extraordinary achievement. Designed for those who value strategy, craftsmanship and quiet power, the Titan of the Year Gukesh Edition is more than a watch - it is a celebration of precision and the pursuit of excellence.