At 18, India’s Gukesh Dommaraju becomes the youngest world chess champion ever : NPR

Gukesh Dommaraju, the 18-year-old chess prodigy from India, has unseated China’s Ding Liren to become the new world chess champion.

Born in 2006, Dommaraju is the youngest world champion of all time, a record previously held by Garry Kasparov, who became world champion in 1985 at age 22.

Dommaraju secured the win Thursday in Singapore after a tight match between the two grandmasters that seemed on the verge of a tie.

“Ding’s opening choice was expected, but Gukesh played a variation that nobody expected,” International Chess Federation President Arkady Dvorkovich said.

The federation described most of the gameplay between the two as having “near-perfect accuracy” with things primed to go for a draw.

But in a move to force the draw, Liren made a critical error.

“I was totally in shock when I realized I made the blunder,” Ding said in a postgame press conference of his decision to sacrifice one of his rooks in order to capture one of Dommaraju’s.

“I think I played maybe my best tournament of the year. I could be better, but considering yesterday’s lucky [survival], it’s a fair result to lose in the end. I have no regrets,” Ding said.

In the final moments of the match, one can almost see the exact moment when Dommaraju realizes he now has an opening for victory. A cautious smile creeps across his face and he briefly leaves the table to clutch his chest and exhale.

Upon his return to the table, Ding plays a final move and shakes Dommaraju’s hand in admission of his defeat.

The teenager covered his face and cried with joy, barely able to shake the hands of well-wishers who had moved to congratulate him.

Dommaraju said that initially, he couldn’t believe his luck that the 32-year-old chess champion had played into his own defeat.

“Since the time I started playing chess … I’ve been dreaming about living this moment for more than 10 years,” Dommaraju said in the press conference. “Every chess player wants to experience this moment, and very few get the chance.”

But Dommaraju spoke with deep respect for Ding, hailing the Chinese player as a legend in the sport.

“We all know who Ding is. He has been one of the best players in history for several years,” Dommaraju said, acknowledging Ding’s struggles in games over recent years. “Seeing how much pressure he had to face and the kind of fight he gave in this match, it shows what a true champion he is.”