Indian chess player becomes youngest world champion
Gukesh Dommaraju, 18, is the second Indian to win the title after beating China’s Ding Liren in the tournament final
India’s 18-year-old chess prodigy, Gukesh Dommaraju, has become the youngest world champion ever after defeating defending champion Ding Liren in a gripping final in Singapore.
Gukesh, who was already the tournament’s youngest competitor, won the best-of-14 match by a single game to claim a share of the $2.5 million prize fund. He is the second Indian to become world chess champion, after five-time winner Viswanathan Anand, who last won in 2013.
He has also become the game’s youngest-ever world champion, breaking the previous record held by Gary Kasparov, who won the title aged 22 in 1985.
The championship concluded dramatically when Ding made a critical blunder in the final game. The match had been tense, with tiebreaks looming as a real possibility. After nearly five hours of play, Ding faltered, allowing Gukesh to seize the moment and clinch the championship. Throughout the tournament, Ding had often trailed on the clock, highlighting Gukesh’s strategic prowess and ability to push his opponent.
“I was dreaming of this moment for the last ten years. I am happy that I realized the dream [and made it] into reality,” Gukesh said after the historic triumph, as quoted by the Hindustan Times. “I got a bit emotional because I was not expecting to win. But then I got a chance to press on.”
The symbolism and the meaning of this moment for all Indians is not to be spoken about—it is only to be imagined…
— anand mahindra (@anandmahindra) December 12, 2024
CHAK DE INDIAAAAAAAAAA! #GukeshDing #WorldChampion pic.twitter.com/sYElXvd4JH
The latest achievement caps off an incredible year for the young grandmaster, who also triumphed at the Candidates 2024 tournament and led India to victory in the Chess Olympiad. Notably, he is the first teenager to hold the title of World Chess Champion.
The son of a doctor and a microbiologist in Chennai, southern India, Gukesh showed early promise in chess, winning the U-9 crown at the Asian School Chess Championships in 2015. He followed that success by claiming a title at the U-12 World Youth Chess Championships three years later. Gukesh is one of India’s most talented players, along with 19-year old R. Praggnanandhaa, who studied the game at Velammal Institution in Chennai, and has been described by the Indian media as a “catalysing force” behind the chess revolution in the city.