Indian teen becomes youngest world chess champion
Indian teenager Gukesh Dommaraju has made history as the youngest-ever world chess champion, defeating China’s Ding Liren, the defending champion, in a dramatic showdown on Thursday.
At 18 years old, Dommaraju is four years younger than the previous record-holder, Russian grandmaster Garry Kasparov, who claimed the title at 22 in 1985.
Hailing from Chennai, Dommaraju has been a prominent figure in the chess world for years, achieving grandmaster status at just 12 years old. Despite his accomplishments, he was considered an underdog heading into the final round of the FIDE World Chess Championship, held in Singapore.
Playing as black, Dommaraju secured victory after Ding, who had been in a strong position, made a critical error, sacrificing his last powerful piece. This blunder handed the win to Dommaraju, who had been ranked fifth globally and second in India prior to the tournament.
The closely contested 14-game World Championship captivated chess enthusiasts worldwide over the past two weeks. Heading into the decisive final game, Dommaraju and Ding were tied, with eight draws and two wins each.
With a final score of 7.5 to 6.5, Dommaraju clinched the title, becoming the 18th world chess champion and cementing his place in chess history.
The teenager comes from Chennai, a city known as India’s chess capital for having produced so many national champions.
But there were no elite chess players in his family – he was enrolled in chess sessions after school because his father, a surgeon, and his mother, a medical professor, needed somewhere to put him.
His talent was spotted there by coaches, who encouraged his family to invest in his training. In high school in 2019, he was crowned a grandmaster at the age of 12 years and seven months – the third-youngest in history.
The teenager has spoken before about how yoga and mindful thinking has helped him deal with the pressures of his chess career.
He stayed focused on Thursday as his opponent, the defending champion Ding, appeared to buckle under the pressure.
Ding has faced questions over his form all year since winning the title in 2023 becoming China’s first chess world champion.
For most of the year, he had taken a break from chess, having spoken about his struggles with depression and mental health.
But his stylish win over Dommaraju in the opening game of the championship last month, and a victory in Round 12, had suggested momentum.
Thursday’s game saw several hours of tight play, with commentators suggesting it was heading to a draw.
But on the 55th move, Ding committed a fatal blunder – moving his rook into a position to be taken.
Immediately recognising his mistake, he slumped on the table.
“Ding seemed to have a risk-free chance to push for a win, but instead liquidated into a pawn-down endgame,” Chess.com wrote in its post-game summary.
“It should have been drawn, but Ding blundered as the pressure grew.”
He resigned three moves later. Dommaraju promptly burst into tears as the room erupted with cheers.
“I probably got so emotional because I did not really expect to win that position,” he said.
At age 18, he is only the second Indian player to become world chess champion, after five-time world chess champion Viswanathan Anand who last won in 2012.
“It’s a proud moment for chess, a proud moment for India… and for me, a very personal moment of pride.”
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Narendra Modi was also among the first public figures showering praise.
“Historic and exemplary!” he wrote on X. “Congratulations to Gukesh D on his remarkable accomplishment. This is the result of his unparalleled talent, hard work and unwavering determination.”
The FIDE World Chess Championship carries a $2.5m (£1.96m) prize fund.
