D Gukesh makes history: Becomes the youngest-ever chess champion

Winning the World Chess Championship against China’s Ding Liren, D Gukesh brings great pride to India.

D Gukesh became the youngest-ever chess champion, clinching the title of the World Chess Championship as an 18-year-old. He defeated China’s Ding Liren in the FIDE World Chess Championship 2024. On Thursday, India’s Gukesh Dommaraju emerged as the youngest world chess champion, defeating defending champ Ding Liren of China.

D Gukesh becomes the youngest world chess champion.

The decisive 14th game in Singapore was dramatic, as a blunder from Liren in the end game saw India’s D Gukesh emerge as the winner. Gukesh became the 18th world champion at 18, four years younger than Garry Kasparov, the youngest world champion since 1985 when he won against Anatoly Karpov.

D Gukesh clinched victory in the decider.

The 18-year-old Indian talent clinched victory in the decider with black pieces as Liren crumbled under pressure. Though Liren was in a comfortable position to force a tie-breaker, he crashed at the end, losing 6.5-7.5. Gukesh told reporters, “I probably got so emotional because I did not really expect to win that position.” He continued, “We all know who Ding is; he has been one of the best players in history for several years.” The match was a 14-round long-time “classical” event with a prize fund of ₹2.5 million.

In April, Gukesh had qualified by winning the Candidates tournament, an eight-player, double round robin event featuring fellow Indians Vidit Gujrathi and Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa. Gukesh also said, “Becoming the world champion doesn’t mean that I’m the best player in the world, obviously there’s Magnus, so it’s also a motivating factor.”