NEW DELHI: Indian Grandmaster D Gukesh turned his lifelong dream into reality by becoming the youngest world chess champion at 18, defeating reigning champion Ding Liren in the final game of a thrilling contest.
At just 11 years old, Gukesh declared his ambition to become the youngest world champion, and seven years later, he fulfilled his cherished goal.
A video going viral on social media captures the young prodigy confidently sharing his dream when asked about his personal ambition: “I want to become the youngest world champion,” he said.
Gukesh also became only the second Indian to clinch the world title after legendary Viswanathan Anand, who owned the crown five times in his career.
Gukesh clinched the title by scoring 7.5 points to his Chinese rival Ding Liren’s 6.5, securing victory in the 14th and final classical time control game of a match that appeared destined for a draw for much of its duration.
As the champion, Gukesh will take home an impressive prize of USD 1.3 million (approximately Rs 11.03 crore) from the total prize pool of USD 2.5 million.
“I was dreaming this moment for the last 10 years. I am happy that I realised the dream (and made it) into reality,” the soft-spoken Chennai-lad told reporters after the historic triumph in Singapore.
“I got a bit emotional because I was not expecting to win. But then I got a chance to press on,” he added.
Prior to Gukesh’s historic triumph on Thursday, the legendary Garry Kasparov of Russia held the record as the youngest world chess champion, having claimed the title at 22 by defeating Anatoly Karpov in 1985.
