An 18-year-old became the youngest world chess champion in history after his opponent made a dramatic mistake in the final of the prestigious tournament.
Gukesh Dommaraju dethroned defending champion Ding Liren in a stunning victory during their best-of-14 matchup in Singapore, all thanks to a fatal mistake made by his opponent.
The Indian player scored 7.5 points compared to his rival’s 6.5, securing a surprising victory in a match that was expected to end in a tie and tiebreakers.
Champion Ding, who was expected to have the advantage in the decisive round, ruined everything with a single reckless move: he moved his rook from f4 to f2 and trapped his bishop.
Rarely, if ever, are championship games decided by single-move errors, but when the catastrophic error became apparent to the spectators, Gukesh stared at the board in disbelief.
Gukesh had one hour and six minutes on the clock compared to his opponent’s nine minutes and 43 seconds, and he calmly drank water as he took it all in.
The commentators, who had been discussing how confident Ding would feel going into the tiebreakers, gasped as they realized what had happened.
The room erupted in cheers and Gukesh burst into tears as he realized that with his final move he would achieve his dream of becoming the youngest champion in history.
The 18-year-old raised his arms in triumph after becoming the youngest champion in history.
Indian grandmaster Gukesh Dommaraju reacts after winning against Chinese grandmaster Ding Liren.
Ding Liren put his hands on his head as he realized that he had handed over the crown with a single movement.
The room erupted in applause when it became clear that Gukesh would take the crown.
Champion Ding, who was expected to have the advantage in the decisive round, blew everything up with a single reckless move.
By moving his rook from f4 to f2, Ding trapped his bishop. Gukesh then realized that he had a path to victory.
The teenager, known in the chess world as Gukesh D, has long been considered a rising star in the chess world and became the third-youngest grandmaster in history at the age of 12 years and seven months. .
He has now broken the record for the youngest world champion, previously held by Garry Kasparov, who was 22 years old when he beat Anatoly Karpov in 1985.
Gukesh had entered the match as the youngest challenger for the world crown after winning the Candidates tournament earlier this year.
After achieving victory, Gukesh burst into tears and raised his arms in celebration.
‘I’ve been dreaming of this moment for the last 10 years. “I’m happy to have realized the dream (and made it) come true,” he told reporters after his victory.
Gukesh is now the second Indian to win the title after five-time world chess champion Viswanathan Anand.
“It’s a proud moment for chess, a proud moment for India… and for me, a very personal proud moment,” Anand, who has mentored Gukesh, said in X.
Gukesh had entered the match as the youngest challenger for the world crown after winning the Candidates tournament earlier this year.
Students of an Indian school congratulate the world’s youngest chess champion Gukesh Dommaraju in Chennai on December 13, 2024.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated the 18-year-old on his “remarkable achievement,” calling it “the result of his incomparable talent, hard work and unwavering determination.”
“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 said in a post on X.
“When I realized it, it was probably the best moment of my life,” Gukesh said afterwards.
As well as winning the prestigious title, the teenager has amassed £1.06 million from the prize fund of 2.5 million dollars.
“I was totally shocked when I realized I had made a mistake,” Ding said. ‘His facial expression showed that he was very happy and excited and I realized I had made a mistake. It took me a while to realize.’
“I probably got really excited because I didn’t really expect to win from that position,” Gukesh said.
“I was going to push it as hard as I could, but I thought, ‘Okay. We’re going to play for five or six hours. It will end in a tie, and let’s focus on the game. “tiebreakers.”
‘But suddenly, after Rf2, I saw that (the game) was really over.
‘I was already preparing to go through that big tiebreaker fight and suddenly it was all over and I had achieved my dream.
“I’m not one to show a lot of emotion, but I think this one can be forgiven.”
Chinese grandmaster Ding had fought through each of the rounds and finally admitted that in the end the best player had won.
‘It wasn’t as definitive a tie as yesterday. He had a bishop on the board. It also had a tower, so it was more complicated.
‘I could have done better, but considering my luck in yesterday’s match, it’s only fair that I lost in the end. I have no regrets.’