An Indian youth became the youngest world chess champion

Author:
Liza Brovko
Date:

An 18-year-old Indian boy, Gukesh Dommaraju, became the youngest world chess champion after defeating the reigning champion, Ding Liren of China.

Dommaraju from the city of Chennai became a chess grandmaster at the age of 12. Now the 18-year-old has won the title of world champion with a final score of 7.5-6.5. Immediately after winning, Hukesh burst into tears.

"I was probably so emotional because I didnʼt really expect to win," he said.

At the age of 18, the boy became only the second Indian player to achieve the status of World Chess Champion, after five-time World Chess Champion Viswanathan Anand.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was one of the first to congratulate the young man on his victory, saying that "this is the result of his unsurpassed talent, hard work and unwavering determination."

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