He Just Became the Youngest Chess World Champion

Indian teenager Gukesh Dommaraju became the youngest chess world champion Thursday after beating the defending champion Ding Liren of China in the final match of their series in Singapore. Dommaraju, 18, secured 7.5 points against 6.5 for his Chinese rival in the contest, surpassing the achievement of Russia's Garry Kasparov, who won the title at the age of 22, the AP reports. The Indian teen prodigy has long been considered a rising star in the chess world after he became a chess grandmaster at 12. He had entered the match as the youngest-ever challenger to the world crown after winning the Candidates tournament earlier this year.

Thursday's match was a 14-round long-time classical event with a prize fund of $2.5 million. After securing victory, Dommaraju burst into tears and raised his arms in celebration. "I was dreaming this moment for the last 10 years. I am happy that I realized the dream (and made it) into reality," he told reporters after his win. Dommaraju is now the second Indian to win the title after five-time world chess champion Viswanathan Anand. "It's a proud moment for chess, a proud moment for India ... and for me, a very personal moment of pride," Anand, who has been a mentor to Dommaraju, said in a post on X.

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