Gukesh’s victory signals a generational shift in the sport

NT Correspondent

Chennai

Eighteen-year-old Indian prodigy Gukesh Dommaraju has become the new world chess champion, winning the final game of the title match after a dramatic blunder from the reigning champ, China’s Ding Liren. Gukesh is now the youngest world champion in chess history, and the first Indian to hold the title since Vishwanathan Anand lost it to Magnus Carlsen in 2013.

Ding was gracious in defeat, saying: “Considering [my play], it’s a fair result to lose in the end. I have no regrets. I will continue to play, and I hope I can show the strength like this time.” For Gukesh, the victory fulfilled a childhood dream. At the age of 11, in a video clip that later went viral, he told an interviewer, “I want to be the youngest world chess champion.” In a post-match press conference, Gukesh said spotting Ding’s blunder “was probably the best moment of my life”.

Road to the title: Ding became world champion in 2023 after an unlikely journey. He almost missed qualifying due to Covid lockdowns in China, and even then only made it into the championship match when Russian grandmaster Sergey Karjakin was disqualified over his support for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Ding is renowned for his kind demeanour and defensive skills, having once achieved a record-breaking 100-game unbeaten streak.

However, after defeating Ian Nepomniachtchi to claim the champion’s title in 2023, he struggled both on and off the board. Plagued by fatigue and depression, he dropped to 23rd in the world rankings. In stark contrast, Gukesh has been a force of nature in 2024. He led the Indian team to an historic gold medal at the biennial Chess Olympiad, personally achieving a performance rating of 3,056 – the highest at the event, winning the gold medal on the top board.

What’s next for chess? The triumph of the 18-yearold Gukesh represents the dawn of a new era. His victory also underscores the growing influence of India the gold medallists for both the Open and Women’s competitions at the recent chess Olympiad in global chess. For Ding, the defeat is a heartbreaking end to a short, challenging reign.

Yet his resilience in reaching this stage, despite his personal struggles, has not gone unnoticed by fans around the world. The championship itself, as a showdown between players from China and India two nations with over a billion people each has captured global attention and highlighted the game’s surging popularity. Chess has experienced a renaissance in recent years, fuelled by the pandemic- induced shift to online play and pop-culture events such as the Netflix drama The Queen’s Gambit.