D Gukesh has made history by becoming the youngest world chess champion, defeating Chinese Grandmaster Ding Liren 7.5-6.5 in the FIDE World Championship held in Singapore. The 18-year-old prodigy from Chennai achieved his lifelong dream with this triumph, marking a major milestone in chess by breaking Garry Kasparov’s 39-year-old record for the youngest world champion.
Gukesh secured the title following a decisive 58-move victory in Game 14, sealing the match against Ding. This historic win has set the chess world abuzz and solidified Gukesh’s status as one of the sport’s brightest stars. Reflecting on his journey, Gukesh expressed that while this achievement is deeply special, it is only the beginning of his quest to reach his full potential in the game.
When I was younger, I wanted to win the world championship because it meant that I was the best in the world. Achieving this is an incredible milestone, especially considering the effort and stress of going through the Candidates and the World Championship itself. However, my ultimate goal is to unlock my full potential and, if that makes me the greatest of all time, then so be it,” Gukesh shared in an interview with FIDE.
Gukesh also cited inspiration from current and former top players, including world number one Magnus Carlsen, Fabiano Caruana, Hikaru Nakamura, and Ian Nepomniachtchi. He emphasized how the fierce competition among such elite players motivates him to continue striving for excellence. I’m motivated to keep working harder by these amazing players. That’s the beauty of competition,” he added.
The championship win crowns an already spectacular run for Gukesh, who dethroned his mentor, Viswanathan Anand, as India’s top-ranked chess player in August last year after Anand held the position for 37 years. Earlier this year, Gukesh made history by becoming the youngest winner of the Candidates Tournament. He also played a pivotal role in India’s success at the 45th Chess Olympiad in Budapest, where the country claimed gold in both the ‘Open’ and ‘Women’ categories.
While Gukesh will celebrate his victory with family and friends and attend several felicitation events in India, he has indicated that he is unlikely to participate in the World Rapid and Blitz Championships in New York later this year. For Gukesh, the journey to becoming one of the greatest in chess has only just begun.