Gukesh shattered the record previously held by Russian legend Garry Kasparov, who had become the youngest world chess champion at the age of 22 in 1985.
Gukesh and Ding headed into the final game of the match on Thursday tied on 6.5 points each. The 14th game, in which Ding played with the white pieces, seemed destined for a draw until Ding made a crucial mistake on the 53rd move. Gukesh's strategy of maintaining pressure on Ding, who was a pawn down, ultimately paid off, leading to an unforced error from last year’s world champion in the closing stages.
"It's the best day of my life," Gukesh said, reflecting on his historic victory while applauding his opponent Ding for rallying against the odds and fighting hard over the last two weeks.In a game of 64 squares, you've opened a world of endless possibilities. Congratulations, @DGukesh, on becoming the 18th World Champion at just 18! Following in Vishy’s footsteps, you're now guiding the next wave of Indian chess prodigies. 🇮🇳♟️🏆
— Sachin Tendulkar (@sachin_rt) December 12, 2024
pic.twitter.com/3kPCzGEv1d
Gukesh said the world championship victory was merely the beginning of what he envisions as a "very, very long and successful career." The teenager from India made his ambitions clear, stating that he dreams of reaching the level of greatness exemplified by his idol, Magnus Carlsen.
"Obviously, becoming the world champion doesn't mean that I am the best player in the world. Obviously, there's Magnus. So, it's also a motivating factor that there is someone at the very, very high level and something that will keep me doing the right things and try to reach the level of greatness that Magnus has achieved," Gukesh said.
🇮🇳 Gukesh D defeats 🇨🇳 Ding Liren in Game 14 of the FIDE World Championship Match, presented by Google and becomes the new World Champion. #DingGukesh pic.twitter.com/GgeV9UkVor
— International Chess Federation (@FIDE_chess) December 12, 2024
Gukesh clinched the championship with a final score of 7.5-6.5, securing victory in the last classical game, which for much of the match had appeared headed for a draw. Gukesh will be head home with USD 1.3 million prize money following the historic victory.
This triumph also made Gukesh the 18th world champion in the history of classical chess and the youngest-ever undisputed champion. While Ding aimed to take the match into tiebreakers, Gukesh's precise play and a winning move in the final moments sealed his place in the history books.
Gukesh was unable to control his emotions as he went over for a water break after knowing Ding had blundered. Gukesh had a smile on his face when he returned to the board, but tears of joy soon rolled down his cheeks. It did not take long for Ding to resign and hand over the world championship crown to the Indian teenager.
It has been a dream year for D Gukesh, who won the Candidates to become the youngest-ever world championship title challenger. Gukesh also led India to a historic gold in the Chess Olympiad in Budapest.
HOW GUKESH BEAT DING IN GAME 14
Game 14 | FIDE World Championship, presented by Google.
— International Chess Federation (@FIDE_chess) December 12, 2024
◽️White: Ding Liren 🇨🇳
◾️Black: Gukesh D 🇮🇳
⚔️ Result: 0-1
♟ Match score: 6½ - 7½ (for Gukesh D)
↔️ Game length: 58 moves
📖 Opening: Zukertort Opening
⚙️ Variation: Reversed Grunfeld#DingGukesh pic.twitter.com/nfqKTlPoAG
Gukesh took the bold call of extending the endgame. Pundits, including Viswanathan Anand, predicted a draw when the endgame began. However, Gukesh played on and forced a mistake from Ding.
The players were just left with a rook and a bishop and Gukesh had two pawns against one trying to make a foray without much success.
However, the ability to keep pushing for more gave Gukesh a distinct advantage over the Chinese and the latter simply collapsed to give the title to Gukesh.
Gukesh began the World Chess Championship match on the back foot, losing the opening game to Ding with white pieces. However, he bounced back to win Game 3.
🇮🇳 Gukesh D 🥹
— International Chess Federation (@FIDE_chess) December 12, 2024
Ladies and gentlemen, the 18th WORLD CHAMPION! #DingGukesh pic.twitter.com/CgzYBgeTfq
Gukesh and Ding played out seven successive draws before the Indian Grandmaster stunned Ding in Game 11. Ding bounced back with a near-perfect show in Game 12 with white pieces.
Ding then resisted pressure from Gukesh in Game 13 to eke out a draw and push things into the final classical game, which ended in the favour of the Indian star.
Two emotions, one reaction—
— International Chess Federation (@FIDE_chess) December 12, 2024
🥲 tears of joy and heartbreak 💔#DingGukesh pic.twitter.com/McjrxgrjNT
How much prize money did D Gukesh get after winning?
The total prize pool for the 2024 World Chess Championship stands at $2.5 million, roughly around Rs 20.75 crore.
Citing FIDE's rules reports state that players are awarded $200,000 (about Rs 1.68 crore) for each win, while the remaining prize money is equally split between the two competitors.
Gukesh won three games, Games 3, 11 and 14, and earned $600,000, approximately ₹5.04 crore.
Meanwhile, Liren won Games 1 and 2, earning him $400,000, around Rs 3.36 crore.
The remaining $1.5 million was equally split between Gukesh and Ding.
With this, in total, Gukesh earned $1.35 million, around Rs 11.34 crore, while Ding earned $1.15 million, around Rs 9.66 crore.
