How India’s Gukesh Dommaraju became chess king in a cricket crazy country | Explainer News

How India’s Gukesh Dommaraju became chess king in a cricket crazy country | Explainer News

Indian chess prodigy Gukesh Dommaraju has grow to be the youngest world chess champion ever after defeating defending champion Ding Liren of China.

Gukesh’s win on Thursday got here within the final recreation of the 14-game World Chess Championship in Singapore. The in any other case cricket-crazed India is jubilant on the 18-year-old’s victory.

Right here is extra about Gukesh, and the way he clinched the world title:

Who’s Gukesh?

Gukesh comes from Chennai, the capital of the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu. He attended Chennai’s Velammal Nexus College.

He began enjoying chess on the age of seven, Gukesh mentioned in an interview uploaded in 2019 by the Gibraltar Worldwide Chess Competition.

“Chess is so complicated, so I simply adore it,” Gukesh mentioned within the video. “I wish to grow to be a world champion.”

By the age of 12, Gukesh had grow to be a grandmaster – the very best title a chess participant can attain – making him the third-youngest grandmaster in historical past and the youngest one from India.

Gukesh sees magnificence and philosophy in pawns, bishops and boards. A YouTube video uploaded by the chess information publication ChessBase India reveals the cabinets of his room in his Chennai home stacked with trophies and chess books, akin to Below the Floor by Jan Markos and Yochanan Afek’s Sensible Chess Magnificence.

Chennai has come to be referred to as the chess capital of India. Out of the 85 chess grandmasters in India, 31 are from Tamil Nadu. The state is even dwelling to a temple devoted to the sport

Is he the youngest world chess champion?

Sure.

Earlier than Gukesh, Russian legend Garry Kasparov was the youngest to grow to be world champion on the age of twenty-two in 1985.

How did Gukesh win?

Gukesh certified for the championship in April by profitable the boys’s Candidates Event of the Worldwide Chess Federation (FIDE). He was the youngest candidate to win the Candidates Event.

He competed in opposition to seven different contestants within the occasion held in April in Toronto, Canada. The winner of the double round-robin match goes on to problem the defending champion for the world title.

Ding, 32, grew to become world champion in 2023. Beginning November 25, Gukesh and Ding confronted off over 14 intense video games.

In chess, a participant wins one level for a win and half some extent for a draw.

Ding went into the lead by profitable the primary recreation. The second spherical resulted in a tie.

Gukesh gained the third recreation, tying issues up with Ding at 1.5 every. They remained tied for a number of video games, drawing every of them.

Within the eleventh recreation, Gukesh, enjoying with white, took the lead after Ding made a blunder. However Ding bounced again by profitable the twelfth recreation, levelling the enjoying discipline as soon as once more. The thirteenth recreation resulted in a draw.

The profitable second

Gukesh performed with black within the 14th and closing recreation. Halfway by means of, a draw appeared imminent. However Ding made the error of shifting his final highly effective piece, his rook, off a robust place. Ding’s mistake took Gukesh without warning, and he seemed intently on the board and calculated his subsequent strikes.

Ding, left, and Gukesh compete in recreation 14 of the 2024 FIDE World Championship in Singapore on December 12, 2024 [Simon Lim/AFP]

After realising his mistake, Ding was visibly dissatisfied and resigned three strikes later, conceding the world champion title to Gukesh.

“It took me some time to understand I blundered. … I feel I performed my greatest match within the 12 months.

“I may very well be higher, however contemplating yesterday’s luck, it’s a good consequence to lose in the long run. I’ve no regrets,” Ding mentioned at a information convention after the sport, saying he would proceed to play chess.

[Simon Lim/AFP]

When Gukesh realised he had gained, he broke into tears. Talking to reporters after the sport, Gukesh mentioned he initially didn’t realise Ding’s blunder however when he did: “It was most likely the most effective second of my life.”

Gukesh reacts after profitable. [Simon Lim/AFP]

Gukesh mentioned Ding “fought like a real champion”.

Who’re the sooner 17 champions?

  1. Wilhelm Steinitz: Born in Prague, Steinitz was the primary official world champion, grabbing the title in 1886 and holding it for eight years over 4 championships.
  2. Emanuel Lasker: Born in Prussia in what’s right this moment Poland, Lasker gained the title in 1894 and held it over six championships.
  3. Jose Raul Capablanca: Hailing from Cuba, Capablanca gained the title in 1921.
  4. Alexander Alekhine: The Russian who obtained French citizenship won the title first in 1927 and thrice after that.
  5. Max Euwe: The Dutch mathematician won the title in 1935.
  6. Mikhail Botvinnik: The Russian won the title 5 occasions, first in 1948.
  7. Vasily Smyslov: The Russian grew to become world champion in 1957.
  8. Mikhail Tal: The Latvian grew to become world champion in 1960.
  9. Tigran V Petrosian: The Armenian remained world champion from 1963 to 1969.
  10. Boris Spassky: The Russian grew to become world champion in 1969.
  11. Bobby Fischer: The American became world champion in 1972.
  12. Anatoly Karpov: The Russian held the title from 1975 to 1985, profitable 5 occasions.
  13. Garry Kasparov: The Russian held the title from 1985 to 2000, profitable six occasions.
  14. Vladimir Kramnik: The Russian held the title from 2000 to 2007, profitable thrice.
  15. Viswanathan Anand: The primary grandmaster and world champion from India gained the title in 2007 and held it till 2013, profitable 4 occasions.
  16. Magnus Carlsen: The Norwegian grandmaster gained the title in 2013 and held it till 2023.
  17. Ding: The Chinese language grandmaster held the title of world champion for 20 months after profitable it in April 2023.

What are the reactions to Gukesh’s win?

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi: Modi posted on X on Thursday: “That is the results of his unparalleled expertise, exhausting work and unwavering dedication.”

Indian opposition chief Rahul Gandhi: Gandhi additionally posted on X: “Gukesh, you’ve made all of India proud!”

Anand: The primary Indian world champion, who has mentored Gukesh and several other different younger Indian chess stars. posted on X: “It’s a proud second for chess, a proud second for India … and for me, a really private second of pleasure.”

From former champion Kasparov to the CEO of Google and Alphabet, Sundar Pichai, Gukesh obtained congratulatory messages on X from a variety of public figures.

The world of cricket wasn’t untouched both.

The main cricket franchise from his hometown, the Chennai Tremendous Kings, congratulated the younger champion in a put up on X on Thursday:

Gukesh additionally received a shoutout from former Indian cricket captain Sachin Tendulkar, who’s extensively thought to be one of many biggest batsmen within the sport’s historical past. He wrote in an X put up that Gukesh is “now guiding the subsequent wave of Indian chess prodigies”.