Teenage prodigy Gukesh Dommaraju of India became the youngest chess world champion at age 18, defeating defending champion Ding Liren of China in a dramatic final game in Singapore.
Gukesh clinched the title with a score of 7.5-6.5 in the 14-game classical format match, marking a historic moment by surpassing Garry Kasparov’s record as the youngest champion since 1985.
Despite Ding’s early resurgence and strong opening performances, a critical blunder in the decisive game handed Gukesh the victory.
Gukesh’s qualification came after winning the prestigious Candidates tournament in April, while the $2.5 million prize fund match saw the end of Ding’s title reign, which had begun in 2023 after Magnus Carlsen stepped away from competing.
