Kissed by fortune, Gukesh emulates his hero Vishy, emerges youngest World Chess Champion
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Gukesh couldn't believe his luck. Out of nowhere, destiny had presented a golden opportunity in front of him. It appeared like a rook, a forlorn white rook screaming to be captured. His eyes widened; he took a hurried sip from a water bottle and seized the moment.
Ding Liren would never forget his fateful move 55 Rf2. Gukesh might even get it tattooed. The Chinese GM had blundered to swing the game from the cusps of a draw into an unexpected win for Gukesh. But the consequence of that random rook move, which gave Gukesh an unexpected win, was far-reaching. It wasn't just another win, it was historic. It was one that perched a cheerful 18-year-old from India on top of the chess summit, crowning him the World Champion.
By beating the reigning champion Ding 7.5-6.5 in 14 classical games, Gukesh has finally emulated his hero, five-time world champion Viswanathan Anand, the only other Indian to wear the crown. Yet even the great Vishy might struggle to beat the audacity displayed by his young compatriot in Singapore from November 25 when the first game was played.
"I have been dreaming about this moment since I started my chess journey at about 7. Every chess player wants to experience this moment, and very few get the chance. I am happy to be one of them...I think the only way to explain it is that I'm living the dream," Gukesh said post-game.
In Game 14, the final classical battle of the championship, Ding had played white, but he chose to be boring. The game resembled the second half of extra time in a knockout football match -- one team desperately trying to reach the penalties and the other trying best to avoid it. While Ding played for the tie-breaker, Gukesh fought, hoping to steal a late winner.
The game rekindled memories of round 6, where Gukesh showed signs of his battle-readiness. Ding stuck to his pragmatic pattern of play by forcing to trade off pieces. He urged Gukesh to exchange queens, but the Indian kept refusing. Eventually, Ding got what he wished, and the game slugged toward the end game. Gukesh had a rook, a bishop and three pawns. Ding had a rook, a bishop and two pawns.
Ding wanted to further simplify the position by trading the bishops and the rooks as well. This time Gukesh refused, he wanted those pieces in his corner to try and find something out of nothing. Wise men who think too much about the game would say it is a dull draw, theoretically and positionally.
Had the game ended in a draw, the players would have returned tomorrow for a series of tie-breakers, starting with a set of four rapid games (15 minutes each), and then played some more, potentially a round of blitz games (three minutes) to find a winner.
The rationale behind Ding willing to get to the tie-breakers was simple, he was a better rapid and blitz player than Gukesh. Ding was ranked second in the world in rapid and blitz chess, only behind the enigmatic Magnus Carlsen, while Gukesh was placed a distant 47th. It was a mismatch, and Gukesh knew he couldn't take that chance of going into a shootout, where Ding believed he was Emiliano Martinez (Argentina's shootout hero at the 2022 FIFA World Cup). That is why he fought, even though the position was a draw.
Gukesh had the advantage of time; he used it miserly and was left with an hour on the clock, while Ding had under 12 minutes. But with an increment of 30 seconds per move, the players were virtually in for a long grind, a seemingly endless and exhaustive end game. That is where the game was headed, until Rf2, until Ding made that casual rook move and turned red-faced, until Gukesh realised that fortune had found him deserving of valour. Gukesh paced the playing hall briefly as he waited for Ding to complete the formality of surrender with a handshake. When that happened, he cried like a boy. Then he emerged, a hero.
"11 years back, the title was taken away from India. When I was watching the match in 2013 from the stands, I looked at Vishy sir and Magnus (Carlsen) and I thought it will be so cool to be inside one day. When Magnus won I thought I really want to be the one to bring the title back to India. This dream that I had more than 10 years ago is the single-most important thing in my life. I did this for myself, for my loved ones and for my country," said the world champion.