In a thrilling match against Chinese champion Ding Liren, the 18-year-old emerged victorious in the final game of the 14-game tournament, securing 7.5 points to Liren's 6.5
A fan takes a selfie with India's grandmaster Gukesh Dommaraju (C) after his win against China's chess grandmaster Ding Liren in game 14 of the 2024 FIDE World Championship in Singapore on December 12, 2024. - The 18-year-old became "the YOUNGEST WORLD CHAMPION in history", said the International Chess Federation in a post on social media platform X, after Ding resigned in a thrilling endgame that had been expected to end in a draw.
Image: Simon Lim / AFP
The tension in the room was palpable as the young teen chess prodigy sat across from his senior and seasoned Chinese opponent—the 17th FIDE world chess champion Ding Liren.
With a clock ticking and both chess stars testing each other's minds by going down the wire, it seemed as though a draw was imminent. And then it happened—his opponent made a blunder.
The turning point of the World Championships 14th game occurred on the 55th move when Dommaraju Gukesh made a bold move against Liren.
After overcoming his initial fear, Gukesh decided to exchange rooks, putting pressure on his opponent. It only took three more moves for Liren to realise the gravity of the situation and ultimately concede defeat, knowing that losing would cost him his title.
Until move 58, the game was evenly matched.