“The youngest global chess champion”
In the final match of their series in Singapore, Indian teenage prodigy Gukesh Dommaraju defeated China’s Ding Liren to become the youngest undisputed world chess champion on Thursday.
After Ding surrendered in an exciting endgame that was predicted to result in a draw, 18-year-old Gukesh broke down in tears and buried his face in both hands.
Later, with a broad smile, Gukesh sprang to his feet and joyfully raised both hands.
Gukesh Dommaraju, the recently crowned world chess king, emphasised his desire to pursue “greatness” and stated that winning a championship was a dream that had been developing for more than ten years.
When Gukesh was seven years old, he witnessed his countryman Viswanathan Anand lose the world chess championship to Norwegian opponent Magnus Carlsen in November 2013; this match stoked his desire to bring the title back to India.
After the game, Gukesh told reporters that the 2013 game was a turning point in his career. My entire strategy for this match was to push as much as possible in every single game.”
“I was in the stands and I was looking inside the glass box (where the players were) and I thought it will be so cool to be inside one day,” he added, referring to the competition held in Chennai, his hometown.
“I genuinely wanted to be the one to return the crown to India after Magnus’ victory. And the most significant event in my life to far has been this dream I had over ten years ago,” he continued.
“I’ve been dreaming about… living this moment for like more than 10 years.”
As Gukesh entered the room for the post-match press conference, fans were also singing his name.
The young champion’s “remarkable accomplishment” was dubbed “the result of his unparalleled talent, hard work, and unwavering determination” by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
“His triumph has not only etched his name in the annals of chess history but has also inspired millions of young minds to dream big and pursue excellence,” Modi wrote in an article on X.
Each player will get $200,000 for each game they win, with the remaining $2.5 million being split equally among them according to a distribution formula created by the International Chess Federation.
This implies that Ding will receive $1.15 million and Gukesh will receive a total of $1.35 million.
‘Fought like a champion’
The game had been headed for a draw, but a determined Gukesh persisted and was handsomely rewarded for his one-pawn advantage, which was reinforced by a rook and a bishop.
Gukesh became the youngest competitor for the world title, and his victory in game 14 gave him a score of 7.5 against Ding’s 6.5, solidifying his incredible ascent to fame.
Gukesh outperformed Russia’s Garry Kasparov, who took home the trophy at the age of 22, for his age.
In addition, he became the second Indian to win the title, following Viswanathan Anand, a five-time world chess champion.
Despite being “obviously not at his best physically,” Ding “fought like a true champion,” according to Gukesh, who was eloquent in his win.
Gukesh was given the opportunity to challenge Ding after winning the Candidates Tournament in Toronto, Canada, in April of this year.
The youngest grandmaster in India
The two players had nine ties in 14 games going into the Singapore encounter, which began on November 25 at the Resorts World Sentosa.
Gukesh levelled the score with a victory in game three after the Chinese grandmaster won the first one.
Only after Gukesh defeated his opponent in game 11 did the seven straight draws end.
Gukesh defeated five-time world champion Magnus Carlsen in 2022 after defeating US number one Fabiano Caruana at the Chess Olympiad.
Gukesh claimed his career was just getting started after his victory on Thursday.