D Gukesh Becomes the 18th World Chess Champion, cries after the win.

D. Gukesh Clinches 18th World Chess Championship, Overwhelmed with Emotion

Written by: Supriya Kadu

Edited by: Pinky Deshmukh

Last Updated: 2024-12-13 07:29:59

Summary: Following his historic victory over Ding Liren, D Gukesh had an emotional moment with his father.

On Thursday, Gukesh D of India defeated Ding Liren of China, the reigning champion, to become the youngest world chess champion. The pivotal 14th game in Singapore was a thrilling contest, with Gukesh winning because of a mistake Liren made in the last game.

At 18, Gukesh also became the 18th world champion. He is four years younger than Garry Kasparov, who held the title of youngest world champion since defeating Anatoly Karpov in 1985.

It was a see-saw match that appeared to be going toward a tie-breaker, just as Liren had intended. However, Gukesh won after a fierce battle due to a huge error made by Ding on the 55th move of the final game.

As Liren broke under the pressure, Gukesh used black pieces to win the final. Even though Liren had a good chance of forcing a tiebreaker, he lost 6.5-7.5 in the end.

Gukesh qualified in April after defeating fellow Indians Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa and Vidit Gujrathi in the Candidates competition, which included eight players and a double round robin event.

Gukesh was so filled with happiness that he started crying after the victory. The two shook hands after Liren quit, and Gukesh, overcome with emotion, replaced all the pieces on the board while tears streamed down his face.

Gukesh left the room after the victory and shared an emotional moment with his father. The two, surrounded by photographers and fans, gave one other a long and profound hug.