History was made, as 18-year-old Indian GM D Gukesh ousted Chinese GM Ding Liren in the final Game 14 of the World Chess Championships to become the youngest world champion in the history of the sport.
With his monumental win, Gukesh becomes the 18th GM and just the second Indian GM, after the legendary Viswanthan Anand, to win the world championship title.
Coming into the final battle after 13 rollercoaster games in the match, both competitors stood on level ground, having nabbed 6.5 points each, needing one point i.e. nothing short of a win, to clinch the world champion title.
Ding, playing with the white pieces, took a valiant step, suspending his tried-and-tested London opening and opting for a reverse Grunfield, showcasing the defending champion’s intent to not settle for an easy draw at any cost.
Gukesh though did not flinch himself, coming out with intent, opening up his files to build his pieces.
The first flurry of moves passed in short time, and an asymmetrical pawn structure was arrived at, with the Masters’ database unable to retrieve any prior games as such, denoting the possibility of both battling it out long and hard in yet another novel battle.
The middle game saw both competitors piling the pressure on each other, with Ding employing a couple traps to entice the young Challenger. But, Gukesh kept his composure, gauging every move and holding strength in the centre of the board continually to keep Ding at bay.
An intense game of exchanges ensued, but with the opportunities and openings seemingly dwindling, Ding opted to make his first intention for a draw known, playing 20.Nf4, posing the question to the Challenger.
Gukesh though did not respond enthusiastically, opting to draw the battle out longer. But, after 30 moves, both players opted to enter the endgame, as they indulged in a trade of rooks and queens, pushing the pace.
Gukesh kept fighting till the very end, not allowing Ding or himself to get comfortable, as he posed questions with in the rook-bishop endgame. The defending champion was pushed to his absolute limits as well, with Gukesh leaving him flustered in the end game, eating away at Ding’s time.
Gukesh’s persistence paid off as Ding blundered whilst fighting against the clock, allowing Gukesh to take over and find the historic win.
