India's 18-year-old D Gukesh becomes youngest world chess champion

WORLD SENTOSA (SINGAPORE): D Gukesh, a beloved protégé of Viswanathan Anand, made history by becoming the youngest World Chess Champion ever. Gukesh dethroned reigning champion Ding Liren of China, securing a thrilling 7.5-6.5 victory in the Classical format of the FIDE World Chess Championship after 14 intense rounds.

Going into yesterday's final round, both players were tied with 6.5 points each. After the first 40 moves, many chess experts predicted a draw, but in a surprising turn of events, Gukesh forced Ding Liren to resign on the 58th move. Despite Ding Liren having the advantage of the white pieces in the final round, Gukesh capitalized on a single extra pawn to strategize his way to victory, marking a proud moment in history.

• Gukesh finished in first place with 7.5 points after winning three games and drawing nine games against Ding Liren, who is 14 years older than him.
• In the first round, Liren secured a victory after a tough battle. I
• Draw in the second round
• In the third round, Gukesh, with white pieces, achieved his first win, levelling the score.
• In the next seven rounds, neither player was able to secure a victory. After completing 10 rounds, both players had accumulated five points each.
• Gukesh's victory in the 11th round and Liren's win in the 12th round brought the championship back to a level playing field.
• Although the 13th-round match also ended in a draw, Gukesh seized victory in the final stage of the last round to claim the title.

Gukesh
Gukesh, the son of a doctor couple from Telangana, was born and raised in Chennai. He started learning to play chess at the age of seven. At the age of 12, he created a sensation by becoming the second youngest player to earn the Grandmaster title. He became internationally recognized through the Westbridge Anand Academy in Chennai, personally guided by Viswanathan Anand. In the 2022 Chess Olympiad, he won a team bronze medal and an individual gold medal on the first board. He won both team and individual gold medals in the Olympiad this year. In April this year, at the Candidates Tournament, he defeated some of the world's top Grandmasters to become the youngest candidate to challenge the current World Champion.