India’s Gukesh becomes youngest world chess champion

On Thursday (December 12), India's 18-year old D Gukesh became the youngest-ever world chess champion, defeating China's Ding Liren in a 14-game match in Singapore. Gukesh used Ding's error in the winner-takes-all 14th game to dethrone the champion, winning 7.5 to 6.5 to become only the second Indian to win the World Chess Championship.

By beating Ding, Gukesh is the 18th World Champion in the over century-long history of chess and the youngest after beating Garry Kasparov's record of winning the title at the age of 21 and heralding the arrival of a new king on the chess horizon.

Gukesh is the second Indian to win the World Chess Championship title, claiming the title in just over a decade after five-time Champion Viswanathan Anand had lost the title to Magnus Carlsen of Norway in Chennai in 2013. Carlsen has abdicated the crown in 2023, paving the way for Ding to beat Ian Nepomniachtchi.

Having battled it out for 13 games over three weeks, Ding was looking forward to the rapid and blitz tiebreakers as had effectively countered the aggressive tactics of the young Indian challenger to steer the game towards a drawish position.

But the 32-year-old China made a sensational blunder when he moved his rook, leading it to be trapped and lose the game as Gukesh had an extra pawn in the king pawn ending.

Gukesh nearly leapt out of his chair, took a pause, settled his nerves, claimed the rook sealed the victory and claimed the crowd.

"I have been dreaming of this for the last 10-12 years since I started playing chess and the only way to explain this is that I am living my dream. Firstly, thankfully to God as I am living a miracle and it could be possible only because of God," said Gukesh, who praised Ding Liren for the fight he put in this match despite not being in great physical condition.

With inputs from agencies