Viswanathan Anand Posts Nostalgic Photo with Young Chess Champion Gukesh

New Delhi, Dec 13 (NationPress) Five-time World Chess Champion Viswanathan Anand shared a nostalgic photo featuring the youngest and reigning World Chess Champion D Gukesh, captioning it 'the boy who would be king'.

Gukesh made history on Thursday by becoming the youngest World Champion in chess, defeating Ding Liren from China in a thrilling 14-game match held in Singapore. At just 18 years old, this rising star from Chennai seized an opportunity after a critical error by Ding in the decisive 14th game, winning the match with a score of 7.5 to 6.5, thus becoming only the second Indian to claim the World Chess Championship.

Following this remarkable achievement, Anand congratulated the young prodigy, calling it a proud moment for both India and the sport of chess.

"Congratulations! This marks a proud moment for chess, for India, for WACA, and personally, for me as well. Ding played an electrifying match and demonstrated his champion caliber," Anand expressed on X.

With this victory over Ding, Gukesh has etched his name as the 18th World Champion in chess history, setting a record as the youngest champion, surpassing Garry Kasparov's previous record of winning the title at the age of 21, heralding a new era in the chess world.

Gukesh is now the second Indian to secure the World Chess Championship title, achieving this feat just over a decade after Anand lost the title to Magnus Carlsen of Norway in Chennai in 2013. Carlsen vacated the title in 2023, which allowed Ding to triumph over Ian Nepomniachtchi.

After a fierce battle spanning 13 games over three weeks, Ding was gearing up for the rapid and blitz tiebreakers, having effectively countered the young Indian's aggressive strategies to push the game towards a drawish outcome. However, the 32-year-old Chinese player made a shocking blunder by moving his rook, allowing his bishop to become trapped, leading to his eventual defeat.