Watch: Gukesh visits famous Tirumala temple ahead of World C’ship title defence

Reigning World Chess Champion D Gukesh visited the Tirumala Sri Venkateswara Swamy Temple in Andhra Pradesh on Friday to seek blessings ahead of his world title defence. The 20-year-old grandmaster's temple visit comes shortly after a stop at Neem Karoli Baba's ashram, as he prepares to face Uzbekistan's Javokhir Sindarov later this month in Geneva, Switzerland.

The upcoming 14-game classical match, scheduled from November 24 to December 12, will mark the youngest World Championship battle in chess history, with both contenders aged 20. The championship features a $2.5 million prize fund, with the first player to achieve 7.5 points winning the title.