Courtesy: X
Indian GM Dommaraju Gukesh, who is just 18 years of age, fulfilled his dream of becoming the youngest World Chess Champion after defeating Chinese GM Ding Liren in the Game 14 of the World Chess Championship 2024 match, winning it with a scoreline of 7.5-6.5. Shortly after, an old video of Dommaraju Gukesh went viral on X, wherein the young prodigy spoke about his dream of becoming the youngest world champion in the history of chess.
Notably, Dommaraju Gukesh became the youngest World Chess Champion at the age of 18 years, 8 months, and 14 days old, surpassing the likes of Garry Kasparov and Magnus Carlsen, the two of the greatest chess players of all-time. The Chennai-born sporting superstar had become a grandmaster at just 12 years of age in 2019, and earlier this year, he got the better of the best players from all over the world in the Candidates tournament, to qualify for the World Chess Championship 2024 match against Ding Liren.
Here is the list of the youngest World Chess Champions in history with the exact date of earning the coveted title:
Dommaraju Gukesh: 18 years, 8 months, 14 days (December 12, 2024)
Garry Kasparov: 22 years, 6 months, 27 days (November 9, 1985)
Magnus Carlsen: 22 years, 11 months, 24 days (November 23, 2013)
Mikhail Tal: 23 years, 5 months, 28 days (May 7, 1960)
Anatoly Karpov: 23 years, 10 months, 11 days (April 3, 1975)
Vladimir Kramnik: 25 years, 4 months, 10 days (November 4, 2000)
Emanuel Lasker: 25 years, 5 months, 2 days (May 26, 1894)
In an old video, which is currently viral on X, when Indian IM Sagar Shah asked Dommaraju Gukesh about his personal ambition as an 11-year-old, the young chess prodigy had no hesitation in saying, “I want to become the youngest World Chess Champion.” Earlier today, after being crowned youngest champion of the world in chess, Gukesh had no hesitation in saying that it is the best moment of his life.
Watch the video of Dommaraju Gukesh as an 11-year-old here:
In his post-match interview, Dommaraju Gukesh also credited Ding Liren for his exceptional play throughout their championship match in Singapore over the past couple of weeks. He was quoted as saying, as per the Times of India, “We all know who Ding is. He has been one of the best players in history. We have seen how much pressure he has faced and it shows who the true champion is. For me, he is a real world champion.”
