What does an eight-year-old boy usually dream of? Maybe a new video game, a favorite toy, or a fun trip. Perhaps meeting their favorite sports star. But Gukesh Dommaraju had a very different dream: he wanted to become the world chess champion.

This dream was born when Gukesh watched Indian chess legend Viswanathan ‘Vishy’ Anand play in the 2013 World Chess Championship in his hometown, Chennai. Gukesh’s father took him to the match, and the young boy was mesmerized by the atmosphere. See...