Indian shines as youngest ever World Champion
Kanwar Inder Singh/ royalpatiala.in News/ December 12,2024
Gukesh Dommaraju become the youngest-ever world champion in chess, at 18-years-old when he defeated Ding Liren in the decisive Game 14 of the World Chess Championship, on Thursday.
Gukesh D becomes the first Indian grandmaster to win the crown since Viswanathan Anand in 2012. It caps off a stunning year for Gukesh, who has also won the Candidates 2024 tournament and the Chess Olympiad gold. Gukesh also became the first teenager to become World Chess Champion.
Before Gukesh’s feat on Thursday, the legendary Garry Kasparov of Russia was the youngest world chess champion when he won the title at the age of 22, dethroning Anatoly Karpov in 1985.
Gukesh was black and Liren was white in this decider, with the Indian starting on a strong note. In the match, Gukesh secured the requisite 7.5 points as against 6.5 of Liren after winning the last classical time control game of the 14-game match that seemed headed for a draw for most part.
Meanwhile, an emotional Gukesh said, “Actually when he played Rf2, I didn’t realise. When I did realise it, it was the best moment of my life.”
“I’ve been dreaming about this and living this moment since I was 6 or 7. Every chess player wants to live this moment – and to be one of them is …. I’m living my dream. I’d like to thank God – this whole journey – from Candidates till here could only be possible by God.
“We all know who Ding is. He has been one of the best players in history for several years. To see him struggling and see under how much pressure he faced, and the fight he gave… To me he is a real world champion. He fought like a true champion, and I’m really sorry for Ding and his team. I would like to thank my opponent first – this could not have been the same without him.
“Representing my country.. 11 years back the title was taken away from India. When I was watching in 2013, looking into the glass box, I thought it’d be so cool to be there one day. I had the dream 10 years ago of bringing the title back. There’s nothing better than this,” he added.
