18-year-old Gukesh Dommaraju of India made history by becoming the youngest ever world chess champion after defeating defending champion Ding Liren of China in Singapore.
Dommaraju scored 7.5 points against Liren’s 6.5, making him a rising star on the world chess scene. Previously, the record for the youngest world chess champion belonged to Russian Garry Kasparov, who won the title at the age of 22.
After winning the $2.5 million championship, Dommaraju burst into tears, raising his hands in celebration.
I was dreaming of this moment for the last 10 years. I am happy that I realised the dream and made it into reality.
He became a grandmaster at just 12 years of age and this year he became the youngest ever world championship contender after winning the prestigious Candidates Tournament. Dommaraju became the second Indian to win the world chess title after five-time champion Viswanathan Anand.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated the young champion on his “remarkable achievement.”
His triumph has not only etched his name in the annals of chess history but has also inspired millions of young minds to dream big and pursue excellence.
