Historic triumph
Faux pas makes 18-year-old world chess champion
18-year-old Dommaraju Gukesh is the youngest world chess champion in history. This historic triumph was made possible by a gaffe on the part of his opponent.
Kronen Zeitung als bevorzugte Google-Quelle hinzufügen Gukesh won the World Championship duel with defending champion Ding Liren 7.5:6.5. In the 14th and final match, the Indian benefited from a huge blunder by the Chinese player when it already looked like a draw and a decisive tie-break was on the cards.
Gukesh is the second Indian world champion after Viswanathan Anand (2007-2013) and will receive the lion's share of the prize money of 2.5 million dollars (around 2.37 million euros) for his success in Singapore. Last year, Liren was the first Chinese player to win the title against the Russian Jan Nepomniashchi.
A fatal mistake
"It was only when I saw how happy he was at the board that I realized I'd messed up," said the 32-year-old after the fateful 55th move. Liren wanted to force a draw, but placed his rook on a square, allowing Gukesh to take rooks and bishops off the board - so there was no escape for Liren. "When I realized that, it was perhaps the best moment of my life," Gukesh revealed.
Former champion Anand is his idol and was also his teacher. "Vishy" had once become a kind of folk hero by winning the World Championship title in 2007 and started an enthusiasm for chess in his home country that continues to this day. "What an incredible achievement", cheered the Times of India after Gukesh's triumph. It was a "proud moment for chess, a proud moment for India", wrote Anand on the X platform.
Gukesh had qualified for the title duel in Singapore with his victory in the Candidates Tournament in April, when he prevailed against renowned opponents such as Nepomniashchi. Even then, critics pointed out that arguably the biggest chess star was not even playing for the world championship. Multiple champion Magnus Carlsen (34) had relinquished the title in 2023 after ten years because the Norwegian was no longer interested in the lengthy and exhausting title fight.
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