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On Thursday, December 12, Dommaraju Gukesh scripted history as he became the youngest World Champion at the age of 18. Gukesh took down Chinese GM Ding Liren with a scoreline of 7.5-6.5 and became the 18th world champion in the illustrious history of the game. With his win, Gukesh realised his dream of ‘bringing back the world championship title to India’, which he saw during the 2013 World Championship game in Chennai between Viswanathan Anand and Magnus Carlsen.
After being crowned the youngest world champion, Gukesh, as quoted by the Times of India, said, “Eleven years back, when the title was taken away from India, I was there, watching that match from the stands. When I was watching that match being played inside the glass box, I thought it would be so cool to be inside that box one day. When Magnus won, I thought I really wanted to be the one to bring back that title back to India. And realising this dream I had for more than 10 years is the single most important thing in my life so far.”
When I realised that I was winning, it was the best moment of mtiy life: D Gukesh
The 18-year-old opened up about his victory moment and labelled it as the “best moment” of his life. Notably, the final contest saw two contestants from Asia competing for the world chess championship crown for the first time in 138 years. The youngster thanked God for being with him whenever he needed. Speaking about the 55th move, when Ding made a blunder, Gukesh said, “At first, I didn’t see that I was winning. When I realised that I was winning, it was the best moment of my life.”
While praising his rival, Gukesh said, “We all know Ding has been one of the best players for several years, and to see him struggling and under pressure, and the kind of fight he gave, shows what a true champion he is. He is the world champion for me.” He added, “I am thankful to God for helping me to live his dream. This whole journey, starting from qualifying for the Candidates till here, could only be made possible by God.”
