18-Year-Old Gukesh Dommaraju Crowned World Chess Champion

Gukesh Dommaraju, an 18-year-old from India, has made history by becoming the youngest chess world champion. He achieved this feat by defeating the reigning champion, Ding Liren of China, in a thrilling finale in Singapore on Thursday.

The match, which spanned 14 rounds, ended with Gukesh winning 7.5-6.5 after Ding made a crucial blunder in a seemingly advantageous position. This victory makes Gukesh the youngest world champion, surpassing Garry Kasparov, who had held the record since 1985.

Gukesh's unexpected win, particularly in such a tense final game, left him emotional. "I probably got so emotional because I did not really expect to win that position," he confessed. Ding, on the other hand, has struggled with form since his victory over Ian Nepomniachtchi in 2023, failing to win a classical game for several months.

However, he regained confidence after winning the opening round against Gukesh, eventually evening the score in round 12, which was celebrated by many commentators.

Despite this, Gukesh's consistency and ability to capitalize on Ding’s mistakes helped him seize the title.

The match also had a $2.5 million prize fund, highlighting its prestige. Gukesh's journey to the championship began in April when he qualified by winning the Candidates Tournament in Toronto, which also featured notable Indian players Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa and Vidit Gujrathi. The Indian chess community also celebrated their victory at the 45th Chess Olympiad in Budapest earlier in the year, where they secured gold in both the open and women's sections.

Gukesh, who became a grandmaster at just 12 years old, acknowledged that achieving the title doesn’t mean he is the world’s best player. "Obviously, there’s Magnus," he said, referring to World No. 1 Magnus Carlsen, who relinquished his title in 2022. Gukesh’s victory adds to the growing prominence of Indian chess players on the world stage, a trend supported by the efforts of former world champion Viswanathan Anand.