Official announcements from FIDE regarding the 2025 World Chess Championship

18-Year-Old Gukesh Dommaraju Becomes Youngest World Chess Champion, Breaking Kasparov's Record

Dec 12, 2024, 09:21 PM

Indian teenage grandmaster Gukesh Dommaraju, 18, has become the youngest and the 18th world chess champion in history after defeating defending champion Ding Liren of China in Singapore. Gukesh, also known as D. Gukesh, hails from Chennai, India. He surpassed the record previously held by Garry Kasparov, who was 22 when he won the title in 1985, breaking the record by four years. Gukesh became a grandmaster at just 12 years old. This victory marks India's second world chess champion, following Viswanathan Anand, and signifies the rise of what some are calling the era of 'Vishy's children'. Prime Minister Narendra Modi hailed Gukesh's achievement as 'historic and exemplary'. The decisive moment came when Ding Liren made a critical error by moving his rook to f2, leading to his defeat.