Indian teenage sensation Gukesh Dommaraju was crowned the youngest undisputed world chess champion on Thursday after defeating China’s Ding Liren in the final match of their series in Singapore.
An overjoyed 18-year-old Gukesh burst into tears, burying his face in both hands after Ding resigned in a thrilling endgame that was expected to end in a draw. Gukesh later stood up, raised both hands triumphantly, and smiled wide.
“My whole strategy for this match was to push as much as possible in every single game,” Gukesh told reporters afterwards.
“It just takes one game for the strategy to pay off.” Cheers erupted at the viewing rooms near the playing arena from jubilant fans, many of them Indians who had flown in to watch the match and Singaporeans of Indian descent. Fans were also chanting Gukesh’s name as he walked in for the after-match press conference.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated the young champion on his “remarkable accomplishment,” which he said was “the result of his unparalleled talent, hard work, and unwavering determination.”
“His triumph has not only been etched in the annals of chess history but has also inspired millions of young minds to dream big and pursue excellence,” Modi said in a post on X.
Under a distribution formula from a $2.5 million total prize pool drawn up by the International Chess Federation, each player will receive $200,000 for every game they won, with the remainder divided equally.
That means Gukesh will receive a total of $1.35m while Ding will take home $1.15m.
‘Fought like a champion’
With one pawn’s advantage, supported by a rook and bishop, in a game seemingly headed for a draw, Gukesh pressed on and succeeded.
The dethroned Chinese champion Ding slumped on the table the moment he realized he had made an endgame mistake, allowing his opponent to capitalize.
A dejected Ding later told reporters between heavy sighs: “I was totally in shock when I realized I made a blunder.”
Gukesh’s win in game 14 put him at 7.5 to Ding’s 6.5, confirming his stellar rise since he became the youngest challenger for the championship.
At 18, Gukesh bettered the record of Garry Kasparov, who won the title at 22 years old for Russia.
He also became the second Indian, after five-time world chess champion Viswanathan Anand, to hold the title. Magnanimous in victory, Gukesh praised Ding, saying he “fought like a true champion” despite being “obviously not at his best physically.” Ding had earlier told AFP before the event started last month that he had “mental problems, mainly during the period of last year,” and, on his doctor’s advice, he had to withdraw from chess and travel around China to relax.
Gukesh had triumphed in the Candidates Tournament held in Toronto, Canada, this April, earning his right to challenge Ding.
Follow Us on Google News
