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D Gukesh has gone past the likes of Garry Kasparov and Magnus Carlsen to become the youngest-ever to have won the FIDE World Chess Championship.
D Gukesh is now the youngest-ever World Chess Champion. (Image: X)
After a gruelling 14-match affair, D Gukesh set a new precedent for the sport of Chess in India by beating China’s Ding Liren to win the World Chess Championship 2024 title, making him the youngest world champion as well.
| Youngest-Ever World Chess Champions | |||
| Rank | Name | Age | Year |
| 1 | D Gukesh | 18 Years 8 Months 14 Days | December, 2024 |
| 2 | Garry Kasparov | 22 Years 6 Months 27 Days | November, 1985 |
| 3 | Magnus Carlsen | 22 Years 11 Months 24 Days | November, 2013 |
| 4 | Mikhail Tal | 23 Years 5 Months 28 Days | May, 1960 |
| 5 | Anatoly Karpov | 23 Years 10 Months 11 Days | April, 1975 |
| 6 | Vladimir Kramnik | 25 Years, 4 Months, 10 Days | November, 2000 |
| 7 | Emanuel Lasker | 25 Years, 5 Months, 2 Days | May, 1894 |
Gukesh at 18 years 8 months and 14 days now holds the record of being the youngest to the title. He beat the previous record holder, Garry Kasparov who won the title at 22 years, 6 months and 27 days in November 1985.
The Russian GM managed to beat Anatoly Karpov of the Soviet Union. He then went on to hold the title till 1993 having defended it on three occasions during his reign.
Now third on the list is none other than the Norwegian GM, Magnus Carlsen by beating India’s Viswanathan Anand in 2013. He also held his title by beating the same opponent next year as well.
Mikhail Tal from the Soviet Union and Latvia went on to beat Mikhail Botvinnik in the final that took place in Moscow in 1960 which was the record at the time.
Coming back to Gukesh’s contest against Ding, it was not as easy as many might have expected. Several big names within the fraternity expected Gukesh to be the favourite, but the series saw that both men were evenly matched.
Gukesh had not even impressed the likes of Carlesen in his approach mid-way into the series, but the young Indian GM managed to stick by his game, which by his admission, did not work by the end of the series.
But even then, the defending champion, Ding did not lose hope as Gukesh’s wins were matched by wins of his own, taking the series to the last game. But the 18-year-old managed to stand strong as he capitalised on Ding’s mistakes at the right time to get the win and make the nation proud.
