At only 18 years of age, Gukesh Dommaraju has climbed the mountain of chess and reached the pinnacle, becoming the youngest undisputed world chess champion after defeating Ding Liren in a thrilling world championship match. The match was held in Singapore and lasted from November 24 to December 12 of 2024.
In the months leading up to the world championship, there seemed to be a stark contrast between the two players competing for the most prestigious title in chess. After winning the 2024 Candidates Tournament, the event that allowed Gukesh to challenge Ding for the world championship, he rose up the ranks to become the fifth-highest rated player in the world. On the contrary, Ding seemed to be in a slump after becoming world champion; he used to be the second-highest rated player in the world, but after several poor performances, he eventually dropped out of the world’s top 20. Heading into the match, Gukesh was the clear favorite; however, it all depended on whether Ding could return to his former level.
In pre-match interviews, the competitors had completely different views about the match. In a virtual press conference about a month before the match started, Gukesh seemed confident about his chances. “I’m quite eager to start the match,” Gukesh told journalists, also emphasizing that “I’m just trying to be at my best for the world championship and I’m just trying to enjoy each moment of this journey.” On the other hand, Ding expressed a lack of confidence and motivation, the two main traits that led him to become world champion in the first place. Ding expressed his concerns in an interview with Kaja Snare. “Clearly I will be the underdog approaching this match,” Ding told Snare.“I am worried about losing very badly.”
As the 14-game world championship match got underway, Ding quickly overcame his initial position as the underdog. Despite Gukesh’s rating advantage and superior preparation, the opponents seemed to be evenly matched during most of the competition. After trading two wins each and drawing in several tense games, the score was level until the last classical game. If this last game was drawn, then the players would enter tiebreaks. However, Ding spoiled a good position and eventually blundered into a losing pawn endgame that a player of Gukesh’s caliber could easily convert into a win. Once Ding extended his hand to resign the game, the match was over.
The emotions of the world championship were clear on Gukesh’s face, who cried tears of joy after his historic victory. After watching a world championship match over a decade ago, he was motivated to obtain this prestigious title. He hoped that his victory would inspire further Indian talents to play chess. “There are a lot of people who look up to me who are interested in what I do. I have the chance to get more people into the game now and it’s a huge honor,” Gukesh remarked in a post-match interview with chess.com. Gukesh also explained how he hopes that becoming world champion would be the first of many great things that he has yet to accomplish in the world of chess. In particular, he hopes to solidify his status as one of the game’s best players. The sky’s the limit for the young Indian star, and he shows no intentions of slowing down.
