SINGAPORE — Gukesh Dommaraju, an 18-year-old chess prodigy from India, made history on Thursday by defeating China’s Ding Liren to become the youngest world chess champion. The victory came in the final game of a 14-game match, cementing his place among the sport’s greats.
Gukesh is now the 18th chess world champion and, at 18 years old, surpasses Garry Kasparov as the youngest player to hold the title. Kasparov had set the record in 1985 at age 22 when he defeated Anatoly Karpov.
The decisive game on Thursday saw Gukesh playing with the black pieces, capitalizing on an uncharacteristic blunder by Ding in what was considered a strong position for the defending champion. Gukesh clinched the title with a narrow final score of 7.5 to 6.5 in the classical format match, which featured a prize fund of $2.5 million.
A fallen champion
Ding, who won the world championship in 2023 by defeating Russia’s Ian Nepomniachtchi, has struggled to maintain his form in recent years. He has not won a classical-format game since January and largely withdrew from top-tier events in an effort to regain his edge.
The match marked a dramatic fall from grace for Ding, who had entered the championship as a favorite but faltered under the relentless pressure applied by the young Indian challenger.
Gukesh’s triumph not only secures him a spot in chess history but also underscores the rising dominance of India in the global chess scene, a legacy built on the foundations laid by former world champion Viswanathan Anand.
