Indian teenager Gukesh Dommaraju became the youngest chess world champion on Thursday after beating the defending champion Ding Liren of China in the final match of their series in Singapore.
Dommaraju, 18, secured 7.5 points against 6.5 of his Chinese rival in the contest, surpassing the achievement of Russia’s Garry Kasparov, who won the title at the age of 22.
The Indian teen prodigy has long been considered a rising star in the chess world after he became a chess grandmaster at 12.
Photo: AFP
He had entered the match as the youngest-ever challenger to the world crown after winning the Candidates tournament earlier this year in Canada.
Gukesh was just seven when he watched compatriot Viswanathan Anand lose the world chess title in November 2013 to challenger Magnus Carlsen of Norway — a match that fired up his dream to bring the crown back to India.
After securing victory, Dommaraju burst into tears and raised his arms in celebration.
Photo: AFP
“I was dreaming of this moment for the last 10 years. I am happy that I realized the dream [and made it] into reality,” he told reporters after his win.
JITTERS
The teenager said he felt the jitters in the opening game in Singapore on Nov. 25, which his more experienced opponent won.
Photo: AP
However, as the tournament wore on, he gained more confidence, winning a total of three matches, including the dramatic final game, and settling for a draw in nine.
Thursday’s final match was already heading for a draw and most pundits and spectators at Singapore’s Resorts World Sentosa were resigned to the tournament extending to rapid-fire tiebreaker games yesterday, which would have favored Ding.
The Chinese grandmaster became world champion last year in similar fashion by beating Russia’s Ian Nepomniachtchi in Kazakhstan in the quick-fire playoffs — akin to a penalty shootout in soccer.
However, the teenager tenaciously pressed on, forcing a blunder by Ding.
Gukesh admitted that it was “humiliating” losing the first game.
“No matter how you prepare for it, you come here as an 18-year-old and you lose the first game like the way I did... It was quite tough to handle that,” he said.
However, he chanced upon his idol Anand in the elevator who told him he had 13 more games to go.
“It was a nice reminder... I needed some mental toughness at that point,” he said.
WORLD CHAMPION
Dommaraju is now the second Indian to win the title after five-time world chess champion Anand.
“It’s a proud moment for chess, a proud moment for India… and for me, a very personal moment of pride,” Anand, who has been a mentor to Dommaraju, said in a post on X.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated the 18-year-old on his “remarkable accomplishment,” calling it “the result of his unparalleled talent, hard work and unwavering determination.”
“His triumph has not only etched his name in the annals of chess history but has also inspired millions of young minds to dream big and pursue excellence,” Modi said in a post on X.
Thursday’s match was a 14-round long-time classical event with a prize fund of US$2.5 million.
Ding took home US$1.15 million while Gukesh got US$1.35 million of the fund.
However, the teenager underlined that the world title crown was just part of a bigger dream.
“Becoming world champion does not mean I’m the best player in the world,” he said.
“Obviously there’s Magnus. So it’s also a motivating factor that... there is someone at a very, very high level and someone that will keep me doing the right things, working hard and trying to reach the level of greatness that Magnus has achieved,” he added.
Shohei Ohtani and Clayton Kershaw on Friday joined their Los Angeles Dodgers teammates in sticking their fists out to show off their glittering World Series rings at a ceremony. “There’s just a lot of excitement, probably more than I can ever recall with the Dodger fan base and our players,” manager Dave Roberts said before Los Angeles rallied to beat the Detroit Tigers 8-5 in 10 innings. “What a way to cap off the first two days of celebrations,” Roberts said afterward. “By far the best opening week I’ve ever experienced. I just couldn’t have scripted it any better.” A choir in the
After fleeing Sudan when civil war erupted, Al-Hilal captain Mohamed Abdelrahman and his teammates have defied the odds to reach the CAF Champions League quarter-finals. They are today to face title-holders Al-Ahly of Egypt in Cairo, with the return match in the Mauritanian capital, Nouakchott, on Tuesday next week. Al-Hilal and biggest domestic rivals Al-Merrikh relocated to Mauritania after a power struggle broke out in April 2023 between the Sudanese army and a paramilitary force. The civil war has claimed tens of thousands of lives and displaced more than 12 million people, according to the UN. The Democratic Republic of the Congo-born Al-Hilal
The famously raucous Hong Kong Sevens are to start today in a big test for a shiny new stadium at the heart of a major US$3.85 billion sports park in the territory. Officials are keeping their fingers crossed that the premier event in Hong Kong’s sporting and social calendar goes off without a hitch at the 50,000-seat Kai Tak Stadium. They hope to entice major European soccer teams to visit in the next few months, with reports in December last year saying that Liverpool were in talks about a pre-season tour. Coldplay are to perform there next month, all part of Hong Kong’s
Shohei Ohtani, Teoscar Hernandez and Tommy Edman on Thursday smashed home runs to give the reigning World Series champions the Los Angeles Dodgers a 5-4 victory over Detroit on the MLB’s opening day in the US. The Dodgers, who won two season-opening games in Tokyo last week, raised their championship banner on a day when 28 clubs launched the season in the US. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts shuffled his batting lineup with all four leadoff hitters finally healthy as Ohtani was followed by Mookie Betts, then Hernandez and Freddie Freeman in the cleanup spot, switching places with Hernandez. “There’s a Teoscar tax to
RSS