Indian Grandmaster GuoIn a historic moment, 18-year-old Indian chess prodigy Gukesh Dommaraju has become the youngest undisputed world chess champion, defeating China’s Ding Liren in the final match of their series in Singapore.
The International Chess Federation hailed Dommaraju as “the Youngest World Champion in history” after Liren resigned in a thrilling endgame.
The decisive game was expected to end in a draw, but Dommaraju’s tenacity and strategic play paid off, allowing him to capitalise on Liren’s endgame blunder.
The crowd erupted in cheers as Dommaraju burst into tears, overcome with emotion.
Fans chanted his name as he walked into the after-match press conference.
Dommaraju’s victory in game 14 gave him a score of 7.5 against Liren’s 6.5, cementing his remarkable rise to stardom.
At 18 years old, Dommaraju surpassed the achievement of Russia’s Garry Kasparov, who won the title at age 22.
He also became the second Indian, after five-time world chess champion Viswanathan Anand, to hold the title.
Dommaraju praised Liren, saying he “fought like a true champion.”
He had earned the right to challenge Liren after winning the Candidates Tournament in Toronto, Canada, in April this year.
The Singapore match kicked off on November 25, with the two players engaging in a series of draws and decisive games.
Born to a doctor father and a microbiologist mother, Dommaraju started playing chess at the age of seven and became India’s youngest grandmaster at 12 years, seven months, and 17 days.
Despite his intense focus on chess, Dommaraju has confessed to enjoying the hit television sitcom “Friends” and often wears a tilak, a smattering of white ash on his forehead, as a symbol of his Hindu faith.
Dommaraju’s impressive chess career has seen him defeat top players, including the United States’ number one, Fabiano Caruana, at the Chess Olympiad in 2022, and five-time world champion Magnus Carlsen later that year.
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