The final match of the World Chess Championship 2024 was played yesterday (12 December) in Singapore between Indian chess grandmaster Dommaraju Gukesh and Chinese grandmaster Ding Liren. In a historic moment, India’s 18-year-old grandmaster Gukesh emerged victorious. During the match, it seemed at one point that the game might end in a draw. However, a mistake by Ding Liren changed the course of the match. Gukesh swiftly capitalized on his opponent’s error and secured the title by winning the final classical game of the 14-game match.
Ding Liren made a mistake in the 14th game.
In the final match of the FIDE World Chess Championship, Gukesh and Ding Liren were tied with 6.5 points each after 13 games. However, Ding Liren made a mistake in the 14th game, which Gukesh capitalized on. If Liren had not made this mistake, the match would have been decided through a tiebreaker. But Gukesh didn’t let that happen. He won the last classical game of the 14-game match, securing the necessary 7.5 points. After the final match, Liren remained at 6.5 points, and Gukesh was declared the winner.
Game 14 | FIDE World Championship, presented by Google.
◽️White: Ding Liren 🇨🇳
◾️Black: Gukesh D 🇮🇳
⚔️ Result: 0-1
♟ Match score: 6½ – 7½ (for Gukesh D)
↔️ Game length: 58 moves
📖 Opening: Zukertort Opening
⚙️ Variation: Reversed Grunfeld#DingGukesh pic.twitter.com/nfqKTlPoAG— International Chess Federation (@FIDE_chess) December 12, 2024
Gukesh is happy with the victory
Gukesh is extremely happy with his title win. After becoming the World Chess Champion, he said, “I am just living my dream. I’ve been dreaming of this moment for the last 10 years. I’m happy that I have turned this dream into reality.” The young chess grandmaster added, “I got a little emotional because I didn’t expect to win, but then I got a chance to move forward.”
Gukesh continued, “I’ve been dreaming of this moment since I was 6 or 7, and now I’m living it. Every chess player wants to experience this. I am living my dream. I want to thank God for the journey from Candidates to Championship.”
Historic and exemplary!
Congratulations to Gukesh D on his remarkable accomplishment. This is the result of his unparalleled talent, hard work and unwavering determination.
His triumph has not only etched his name in the annals of chess history but has also inspired millions… https://t.co/fOqqPZLQlr pic.twitter.com/Xa1kPaiHdg
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) December 12, 2024
After his win, Prime Minister Modi congratulated Gukesh, calling his achievement “historic and exemplary!” He said, “Congratulations to Gukesh on his remarkable accomplishment. This is the result of his unparalleled talent, hard work, and unwavering determination.”
“His triumph has not only etched his name in the annals of chess history but has also inspired millions of young minds to dream big and pursue excellence. My best wishes for his future endeavours.”