India’s Grandmaster Gukesh Dommaraju, 18, reacts after defeating China’s chess Grandmaster Ding Liren in Game 14 of the 2024 FIDE World Championship in Singapore on December 12.
Gukesh Dommaraju has become the youngest-ever undisputed classical chess world champion after beating Ding Liren 7.5-6.5 in their best-of-14 final on Thursday.
The 18-year-old and defending champion Ding entered the last game tied, with the match appearing to head toward rapid chess tiebreaks. However, a critical blunder by Ding allowed Gukesh to secure the decisive point.
As his victory was confirmed, Gukesh broke into tears, overwhelmed by the emotion of his historic achievement, while Ding sat with his head in his hands, visibly stunned by the outcome.