Indian Grandmaster D. Gukesh made history by becoming the youngest-ever world champion.
After defeating reigning champion Ding Liren in the decisive 14th game of the World Chess Championship match in Singapore on Thursday, 12 December. At just 18 years old, Gukesh also became the second Indian, after Viswanathan Anand, to claim the classical chess world championship title.
Gukesh shattered the record previously held by Russian legend Garry Kasparov, who had become the youngest world chess champion at the age of 22 in 1985.
Gukesh and Ding headed into the final game of the match on Thursday tied on 6.5 points each. The 14th game, in which Ding played with the white pieces, seemed destined for a draw until Ding made a crucial mistake on the 53rd move. Gukesh’s strategy of maintaining pressure on Ding, who was a pawn down, ultimately paid off, leading to an unforced error from last year’s world champion in the closing stages.
“It’s the best day of my life,” Gukesh said, reflecting on his historic victory.
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Gukesh clinched the championship with a final score of 7.5-6.5, securing victory in the last classical game, which for much of the match had appeared headed for a draw. This triumph also made Gukesh the 18th world champion in the history of classical chess and the youngest-ever undisputed champion. While Ding aimed to take the match into tiebreakers, Gukesh’s precise play and a winning move in the final moments sealed his place in the history books.
GUKESH IN TEARS AFTER HISTORIC WIN
Gukesh was unable to control his emotions as he went over for a water break after knowing Ding had blundered. Gukesh had a smile on his face when he returned to the board, but tears of joy soon rolled down his cheeks. It did not take long for Ding to resign and hand over the world championship crown to the Indian teenager.
Gukesh took the bold call of extending the endgame. Pundits, including Viswanathan Anand, predicted a draw when the endgame began. However, Gukesh played on and forced the mistake from Ding. Gukesh began the World Chess Championship match on the back foot, losing the opening game to Ding with white pieces. However, he bounced back to win Game 3.
Gukesh and Ding played out seven successive draws before the Indian Grandmaster stunned Ding in Game 11. Ding bounced back with a near-perfect show in Game 12 with white pieces. Ding then resisted pressure from Gukesh in Game 13 to eke out a draw and push things into the final classical game, which ended in the favour of the Indian star.
It has been a dream year for D Gukesh, who won the Candidates to become the youngest-ever world championship title challenger. Gukesh also led India to a historic gold in the Chess Olympiad earlier this year.