Indian chess prodigy Gokesh Dumaraju He became the youngest world chess champion ever after defeating defending champion Ding Liren of China.
Jokic’s victory on Thursday came in the last match out of 14 matches World Chess Championship In Singapore. Cricket-mad India is thrilled with the 18-year-old’s win.
Here’s more about Gokic and how he earned the world title:
Who is Gokish?
Gokesh comes from Chennai, the capital of the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu. He attended Velammal Nexus School in Chennai.
In an interview uploaded in 2019 by the Gibraltar International Chess Festival, Gokish said he started playing chess at the age of seven.
“Chess is very complicated, so I love it,” Jokisch said in the video. “I want to be a world champion.”
At the age of 12, Gokesh became a grandmaster—the highest title a chess player can hold—making him the third-youngest grandmaster in history and the youngest chess player from India.
Gokish sees beauty and philosophy in pawns, bishops, and councils. A YouTube video uploaded by chess newscast ChessBase India shows the shelves of his room in his Chennai home stacked with trophies and chess books, such as “Under the Surface” by Jan Markus and “The Beauty of Practical Chess” by Yochanan Avek.
Chennai became known as the chess capital of India. Of the 85 chess grandmasters in India, 31 of them are from Tamil Nadu. The state is also home to a temple dedicated to the game
Is he the youngest world chess champion?
Yes.
Before Gokic, Russian legend Garry Kasparov was the youngest to become a world champion at 22 years old in 1985.
How did Jokish win?
Gokish Qualified for the tournament In April by winning the FIDE Men’s Candidates Tournament. He was the youngest candidate to win the Candidates Championship.
He competed against seven other contestants at the event held in April in Toronto, Canada. The winner of the dual tournament goes on to challenge the defending champion for the world title.
Ding, 32, will become world champion in 2023. Starting on November 25, Jokic and Ding faced off over 14 intense matches.
In chess, a player wins one point for a win and half a point for a draw.
Deng went into the lead by winning the first game. The second round ended in a draw.
Gokish He won the third matchconnect objects with ding at a rate of 1.5 each. they She remained tied up For multiple games, draw each one of them.
In the eleventh match, Jokic played in white. Take the lead After Ding made a huge mistake. But Deng recovered with his victory The twelfth matchLeveling the playing field again. The 13th match resulted in a draw.
Winning moment
Jokic played in black in the fourteenth and final match. At the halfway point, an equalizer looked imminent. But Deng made a mistake when he moved his last powerful piece, the rook, from a strong position. Ding Gokesh’s mistake surprised him, and he looked intently at the board and calculated his next moves.
Realizing his mistake, Ding was visibly disappointed and quit after three moves, ceding the world champion title to Jokic.
“It took me a while to realize I made a mistake. … I think I played my best tournament this year.
“I could have been better, but given the luck that surrounded yesterday, losing in the end is a fair result. I have no regrets,” Ding said in a post-match press conference, stressing that he will continue playing chess.
When Jokish realized he had won, he burst into tears. Speaking to reporters after the match, Jokic said he did not realize Deng’s mistake at first but when he did: “It was probably the best moment of my life.”
Deng “fought like a true hero,” Gokish said.
Who are the top 17 champions?
- Wilhelm Steinitz: Born in Prague, Steinitz was the first official world champion, taking the title in 1886 and holding it for eight years over four tournaments.
- Emmanuel Lasker: Born in Prussia in what is today Poland, Lasker won the title in 1894 and held it for six tournaments.
- Jose Raul Capablanca: Capablanca, who hails from Cuba, won the title in 1921.
- Alexander Alekhine: The Russian who obtained French citizenshipHe won the title first in 1927 and three times after that.
- Max Ewe: Dutch mathematician WOn the title in 1935.
- Mikhail Botvinnik: Russian wHe won the title five times, the first in 1948.
- Vasily Smyslov: The Russian became world champion in 1957.
- Michael Tal: The Latvian became world champion in 1960.
- Tigran V Petrosyan: Armenian RHe remained world champion from 1963 to 1969.
- Boris Spassky: The Russian became world champion in 1969.
- Bobby Fischer: American BHe became world champion in 1972.
- Anatoly Karpov: Russian hHe held the title from 1975 to 1985, winning five times.
- Garry Kasparov: Russian hHe held the title from 1985 to 2000, winning it six times.
- Vladimir Kramnik: Russian hHe held the title from 2000 to 2007, winning three times.
- Viswanathan Anand: The first major and world champion from India won the title in 2007 and held it until 2013, winning four times.
- Magnus Carlsen: the The Norwegian grandmaster won the title in 2013 and held it until 2023.
- Ding: the The Chinese grandmaster held the world champion title for 20 months after winning it in April 2023.
What are the reactions to Jokish’s win?
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi: “This is a result of his unparalleled talent, hard work and unwavering determination,” Modi posted on X on Thursday.
Indian Opposition Leader Rahul Gandhi: Gandhi also posted on X: “Gokesh, you have made all of India proud!”
Jokesh, you have made all of India proud! At just 18 years old, becoming the youngest world chess champion is a tremendous achievement.
Your passion and hard work remind us that with persistence, anything is possible. Congratulations, champion! pic.twitter.com/wcK4YZmVB9
– Rahul Gandhi (@rahulgandhi) December 12, 2024
Anand: The first Indian world champion, he mentored Jokesh and many other young Indian chess stars. “It’s a proud moment for chess, a proud moment for India… and for me, a very personal proud moment,” he posted on X.
Congratulations! It’s a proud moment for chess, a proud moment for India, a proud moment for Waka, and for me, a very personal moment of pride. Ding played a very exciting match and showed that he is the champion.@FIDE_chess @WacaChess pic.twitter.com/o3hq26JFPf
– Viswanathan Anand (@vishy64theking) December 12, 2024
From former champion Kasparov to Google and Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai, Gokish has received congratulatory messages on X from a range of public figures.
The world of cricket was not immune either.
His hometown cricket team, Chennai Super Kings, congratulated the young hero in a post on X on Thursday:
The king takes the crown! 👑
Congratulations to Jokis, the youngest Classical Chess World Champion ever! 🥳🙌 @DGukesh pic.twitter.com/Tyw2tK2NDO
– Chennai Super Kings (@ChennaiIPL) December 12, 2024
Jokish also received a tribute from former Indian cricket captain Sachin Tendulkar, who is widely regarded as one of the greatest batsmen in the history of the sport. He wrote in a post on X that Gokesh “is now leading the next wave of Indian chess prodigies.”
In a game of 64 squares, you’ve opened up a world of endless possibilities. Congratulations, @DGukeshbecoming the 18th world champion at just 18 years old! Following in Vishy’s footsteps, you are now leading the next wave of Indian chess prodigies. 🇮🇳♟️🏆
pic.twitter.com/3kPCzGEv1d– Sachin Tendulkar (@sachin_rt) December 12, 2024
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