“I felt a wave of emotions because victory wasn’t something I anticipated. But I seized the opportunity,” he shared.
The usually reserved teenager beamed with joy and raised his arms in celebration following his victory, displaying a contrast to his typical poker face during games.
Prior to Gukesh’s remarkable achievement on Thursday, the illustrious Garry Kasparov from Russia held the record as the youngest world champion, securing the title at the age of 22 after defeating Anatoly Karpov in 1985.
Gukesh entered the championship match as the youngest challenger in history, having triumphed in the Candidates tournament earlier in the year.
He is the second Indian, following the iconic Viswanathan Anand, to claim the global title. Anand, a five-time world champion, last held the title in 2013 before losing it to Magnus Carlsen.
“Every chess player dreams of achieving this. Today, I am living that dream,” Gukesh expressed.
Gukesh secured his championship title by winning the 14th game against Liren after 58 moves that took four hours to complete. He is now the 18th world chess champion in history.
Had Thursday’s game ended in a draw, a winner would have been determined through shorter tie-break rounds on Friday.
Gukesh previously won the third and eleventh rounds before the pivotal game on Thursday, while the 32-year-old Liren clinched victories in the opening and twelfth games. The remainder of the matches ended in draws.
