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Indian Grandmaster D Gukesh on Thursday became the youngest world chess champion at 18 years after beating title-holder Ding Liren in the last game of a nerve-wracking showdown to herald a new era of dominance for the country`s chess players.
Taking forward the incredible legacy of the great Viswanathan Anand, Gukesh became only the second Indian to clinch the coveted prize after the iconic player, who owned the crown five times in his career.
Just moments after his historic victory, a video went viral showing the teenage champion in tears as he called his mother while leaving the venue. Watch the video below:
Mom ❤️ pic.twitter.com/dyn1esI5vN
— ChessBase India (@ChessbaseIndia) December 12, 2024
Gukesh secured the requisite 7.5 points against 6.5 of his Chinese rival after winning the 14th and last classical time control game of the match that seemed headed for a draw for most part. As winner, he will walk away with a whopping USD 1.3 million (approx Rs 11.03 crore) from the 2.5 million prize purse.
“I was dreaming this moment for the last 10 years. I am happy that I realised the dream (and made it) into reality,” the soft-spoken Chennai-lad told reporters after the historic triumph.
Also Read: Cricket’s mental guru Upton now chess champion Gukesh’s secret weapon
“I got a bit emotional because I was not expecting to win. But then I got a chance to press on,” he added.
The triumph was expectedly hailed across India with Prime Minister Narendra Modi hailing it as “historic and exemplary”. “This is the result of his unparalleled talent, hard work and unwavering determination,” Modi posted on X.
The reticent teenager grinned widely and raised his arms in celebration after the victory, a stark contrast from the poker face he usually sports while playing. Even on Thursday, when the analysts had proclaimed that the match, in all likelihood, would go into a tie-breaker, Gukesh`s face hardly gave anything away as he gained the upper-hand.
Also Read: Liren`s `deliberate` loss to Gukesh called into question by Russian chess head
It was a momentary lapse of concentration by Liren in what seemed a drawn endgame and as it happened, the entire chess world was left in a state of shock. The players were just left with a rook and a bishop and Gukesh had two pawns against one trying to make a foray without much success. However, the ability to keep pushing for more gave Gukesh a distinct advantage over the Chinese and the latter simply collapsed to give the title to Gukesh.
Before Gukesh`s feat on Thursday, the legendary Garry Kasparov of Russia was the youngest world champion when he won the title at the age of 22, dethroning Anatoly Karpov in 1985.
Gukesh had entered the match as the youngest-ever challenger to the world crown after winning the Candidates tournament earlier this year.
(With agency inputs)
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