D Gukesh crowned youngest Chess world champion, defeats Liren in thrilling title clash

Indian chess sensation D Gukesh made history on Thursday as he was crowned the International Chess Federation (FIDE) World Champion following the final game of his FIDE World Championship tie against China’s Ding Liren, becoming the youngest-ever champion in the history of the sport.

With the scores levelled at 6.5-6.5 each heading into the final game, Gukesh managed to deliver his best when it was needed the most, with the 18-year-old sealing a historic win over Ding to become the 18th chess champion in the sport’s history. The final score was Gukesh (7.5) and Ding (6.5), as per FIDE’s official website.

The official X handle of FIDE announced, “Gukesh D is the YOUNGEST WORLD CHAMPION in history!”

The 18-year-old Indian in April created history as he won the FIDE Candidates Chess Tournament 2024, becoming the youngest-ever challenger to the world title held by Liren.

Following his triumph, Gukesh became overwhelmed with emotions and broke down in tears.

Gukesh termed the win as the “best moment of his life” in the post-match press conference.

Following the game, Liren said in the post-match press conference, “I was totally in shock when I realized I made a blunder. I will continue to play. I think I played my best tournament of the year. It could be better, but considering yesterday’s lucky survive it is a fair result to lose in the end. I have no regrets.”

The game 13 of the International Chess Federation (FIDE) World Championship between D Gukesh and the world champion ended in a draw on Wednesday, with one more round left to determine the champion of the sport.

At the end of game 13, the scores are level at six and the half points each, with one classical game left, as per FIDE. At this point, one move or one mistake could be the point of difference. The game lasted for 68 moves.