NEW DELHI (AP) — Indian teenager Gukesh Donmaraju becomes the youngest chess On Thursday, he became the world champion by defeating defending champion Ding Liren (China) in the final round of the series in Singapore.
Donmaraj, 18, scored 7.5 points in the contest compared to 6.5 for his Chinese rival, outperforming Russia’s Garry Kasparov, who won the title at the age of 22.
of indian The teenage prodigy has long been considered a rising star in the world of chess, ever since he became a chess grandmaster at the age of 12. He won the Candidates Tournament earlier this year and was entering the match as the youngest-ever challenger to the world title.
After securing victory, Donmaraju burst into tears and celebrated by raising his hands.
“I’ve been dreaming of this moment for the past 10 years. I’m happy to have made my dream come true (and made it a reality),” he told reporters after the win.
Donmaraju became the second Indian to win the title after five-time world chess champion Viswanathan Anand.
“This is a proud moment for chess, a proud moment for India… and a very personal moment of pride for me,” Donmaraju’s mentor Anand said in a post to X.
prime minister of india narendra modi They congratulated the 18-year-old on his “amazing accomplishment”, calling it “the result of his unique talent, hard work and unwavering determination”.
“His victory not only etched his name in the history of chess, but also inspired millions of young people to dream big and pursue excellence,” Modi said in a post on X. .
Thursday’s match was a 14-round long-running classic event with a total prize pool of $2.5 million.
