D.Gukesh, The youngest world champion in the world of Chess by consolidating a Thumping Triumph over the Chinese opponent Ding Liren at the age of 18. Not only the Youngest but also the fastest from India to the globe.
Most of us had expected the game to end in a stalemate and for the Championship to be contested to move to the tie-breaks, where Ding would have had the slight tackle over Gukesh in the Rapid and Blitz formats.
“I Was Dreaming This Moment for Last 10 Years, Happy I Realised This Dream,”- D. Gukesh
Gukesh, however, refused to accept the offer of a draw, dragging the nail-biting game past the 50th move and eventually forcing a blunder on his opponent’s part to be crowned the deserved chess world champion!
It wasn’t quite the cakewalk for the Indian Grandmaster that everybody had expected before the Championship, given how Ding had dominated in the Classical format throughout 2024, and credit has to be given to the Chinese GM for dragging this to the final Classical game and nearly taking it to the final day of the event.
In the end, Gukesh did live up to his favorite billing, and just delivered what surely would rank among three of the greatest moments in Indian chess, if not the greatest!
Final Recap of The 2024 FIDE World Chess Championship:
Game 1 (25 November) – Ding Liren beat D Gukesh (Ding leads 1-0)
Game 2 (26 November) – Draw (Ding leads 1.5-0.5)
Game 3 (27 November) – Gukesh defeats Ding (Scores ties 1.5-1.5)
Game 4 (29 November) – Draw (Scores tied 2-2)
Game 5 (30 November) – Draw (Scores tied 2.5-2.5)
Game 6 (1 December) – Draw (Scores tied 3-3)
Game 7 (3 December) – Draw (Scores tied 3.5-3.5)
Game 8 (4 December) – Draw (Scores tied 4-4)
Game 9 (5 December) – Draw (Scores tied 4.5-4.5)
Game 10 (7 December) – Draw (Scores tied 5-5)
Game 11 (8 December) – Gukesh defeats Ding (Gukesh leads 6-5)
Game 12 (9 December) – Ding beats Gukesh (Scores tied 6-6)
Game 13 (11 December) – Draw (Scores tied 6.5-6.5)
Game 14 (12 December) – Gukesh defeats Ding (clinches title with 7.5-6.5 scoreline!)
Gukesh Briefs The Media with Parents And Tri Colour,
“Whatever words I have is not enough for my parents. Both my parents right from the start – the dream was bigger for them than for me. They are both sports lovers – they did not get the chance to pursue their passion in their youth. When I was born they decided to support me in whatever I chose. They went to such lengths to support me – when I look back at it it’s just crazy. I can’t thank them enough. My whole journey – it’s not just for me but for them. I love them both.” Gukesh briefed the media.
“In my career, I can’t say I have made personal sacrifices. But my parents… the most sacrifices have been made by my parents, by my family and friends. We were not well-off – my parents had to face a lot of financial struggles. I did not realize it then, but my parents did a lot. There were times when we were running out of money and my parent's friends helped out.” Gukesh penned with tears of victory.
A Soft Ribbon to All The Gukesh of India:
The boy who wanted to be the Youngest World Champion ever, now surely he is the one and still the only. Surprisingly, these unsung heroes will not be on the list of our first preferences, but their sacrifices, frustration, intimidation, and victory will definitely be written about or spoken to our successors, even from a country that has been pulverized by the fever for Cricket, Chess will be the winter shower and Gukesh will be the divine sunlight for them.
