In a historic moment for chess, Gukesh Dommaraju of India has become the youngest world chess champion at just 18 years old. He clinched the title by defeating defending champion Ding Liren of the Chinese mainland on Thursday in Singapore, marking a dramatic end to a gripping 14-game match.
Gukesh’s victory is particularly notable as he is four years younger than Garry Kasparov, who held the record for the youngest world champion since 1985. The final game saw Gukesh secure the win with the black pieces after Ding succumbed to pressure, making critical errors in what commentators considered a favorable position. The match concluded with a close score of 7.5-6.5.
Ding Liren, who previously won the championship in 2023 by defeating Russian Ian Nepomniachtchi, has faced a decline in form since then. He had not secured a long-time format \"classical\" game victory since January and had been avoiding top-tier events to regain his competitive edge. Despite a strong start with a surprise win in the opening round and a notable victory in round 12 that evened the score, Ding couldn't maintain his momentum against Gukesh.
The match featured a 14-round long-time \"classical\" format with a prize fund of $2.5 million. Gukesh earned his spot by winning the Candidates tournament in April, an eight-player double round-robin event that included fellow Indian players Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa and Vidit Gujrathi. The success of Indian chess players has been widely attributed to the efforts of former world champion Viswanathan Anand in promoting the game across the country.
The chess world has also noted the impact of Magnus Carlsen, who was world champion from 2013 until he stepped down in 2022, citing a lack of motivation to continue.
Reference(s):
Dommaraju edges Ding to become youngest world chess champion
cgtn.com