D Gukesh made history by becoming the youngest grandmaster ever (18 years) to win the World Chess Championship in Singapore on Thursday, defeating the reigning champion, Ding Liren. The 14 game of the series looked to be headed for a draw; however, a major blunder by Liren saw Gukesh win the title.
The 18th world champion is at age 18 four years younger than Garry Kasparov, who had been the youngest world champion since 1985 when he beat Anatoly Karpov. Here’s a breakdown of the 14-game series held between Gukesh and Liren
Breakdown of 14 match series
Game 1: Former champion Ding Liren won the first match decisively, taking a 1-0 lead after Gukesh struggled to find his strategy. The game lasted 42 moves.
Game 2: Gukesh bounced back quickly in the next round, scoring 0.5 points alongside Liren’s 1.5. However, the round ended in a draw.
Game 3: Following a heartfelt draw, Gukesh made a solid comeback. His tough moves and great strategies helped him secure his first win of the series, leveling the score at 1.5-1.5. Liren was outclassed in this round.
Game 4: After his first win, Gukesh felt confident against Liren, but the match became intense and ended in a draw, keeping the scores level at 2 points each.
Game 5: Gukesh’s calm and resilient moves kept Liren off track, leading this round to also end in a draw, resulting in scores of 2.5 each.
Game 6: In another tightly contested round, Gukesh and Liren ended Game 6 in a draw, leading to an equal score of 3 points each.
Game 7: As they reached the halfway point with no clear winner, Gukesh and Liren approached this round patiently. Lasting 5 hours and 22 minutes, it also ended in a draw, keeping the scores at 3.5 each.
Game 8: The following round continued their streak of ties, ending in a draw again, which resulted in a score of 4 points each. The tension between the players was building day by day, capturing the audience’s intrigue.
Game 9: Another round concluded in a draw, maintaining the suspense of the competition, with both players sharing 4.5 points.
Game 10: The excitement grew as yet another round ended in a tie, bringing each player’s score to 5 points.
Game 11: After a series of ties, Gukesh finally took the lead at 6-5, capitalizing on a mistake made by Liren in the 28th move.
Game 12: Gukesh, confident he could win the match, found Liren equaling the score at 6-6 in Round 12, adding more intrigue to the contest.
Game 13: After feeling the pressure from losing the previous round, Gukesh maintained his composure, and the round ended in a draw. Tension was high for Liren as he aimed for the title, but Gukesh restricted his opportunities.
Game 14: Everything was set for the final round. Gukesh, now full of confidence, aimed for victory. Liren’s small mistake proved costly, allowing Gukesh to win with a score of 7.5 to 6.5.
This match will be remembered for how young Gukesh tactically defeated Liren, showcasing a game filled with brilliance. His calmness and resilience etched his name in the history books.
