Indian player Gukesh Dommaraju becomes youngest World Chess Champion

ANKARA

Gukesh Dommaraju, an Indian 18-year-old player, became the youngest World Chess Champion on Friday after defeating former Chinese world champion Ding Liren.

"After almost a month of fierce competition, against an opponent who never gave in, 18-year-old Grandmaster from Chennai Gukesh D. raised the winner’s trophy this evening, in the magnificent ballrooms of the Equarius Hotel Sentosa," the FIDE World Championship said in a statement.

Dommaraju and Ding faced off in the World Chess Championship in Singapore, where Dommaraju won 6.5 points in the championship, defeating his opponent by one point.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated Dommaraju on X.

Dommaraju became the second Indian to win the title after five-time world champion Viswanathan Anand.

Dommaraju also took the title from Russian Garry Kasparov, who was the youngest World Chess Champion in 1985 at the age of 22.