Gukesh Dommaraju became India’s second chess world champion after Viswanathan Anand and the youngest chess world champion at the age of 18 After defeating Ding Liren in a tough 14-round match.

On 12th December Thursday at the FIDA World Chess Championship Gukesh defeated the Defending champion Ding Liren and achieved the Title, The Championship carries a huge Prize fund of $2.5M, in which the champion will carry $1.35M(approx). But the prize money is nothing in front of the achievement he made for himself, He made for India. He has now become a member of the most exclusive club of only 18 members including him. He has been committed to it since he was 11, and he has accomplished what he wished for.

On 15 January 2019, at the age of 12 years, he became the second youngest grandmaster after Sergey Karjakin. But he did not stop there, he continued his domination to get the highest title possible in Chess. And now he has become the youngest world chess champion.

Full Game summary:

The Game continued until the 14th Round, which was quite long but not compared to other longest world championship games. That proves excellence.

Game 1 Summary

In Game 1 of the 2024 World Chess Championship, Ding Liren got away with the white pieces against Gukesh D and used the Ruy-Lopez to force a defensive position, forcing the latter into a sluggish, low-strategy middlegame. Ding struck first with an accurate calculation, and an accurate calculation to boot, to wrest the advantage with an imprecise pawn move from Gukesh. Gukesh, however, failed to capitalize on the advantage, and he resigned in the endgame after 42 moves to Ding, who converted easily after a smooth run.

Game 2 Summary

Ding Liren drew game 2 with Alexander Grischuk in a tense 23-move draw, to stay at 1.5-0.5 ahead in the series. Ding, who was playing Black, expertly neutralized Gukesh’s efforts to set sail in a Ruy-Lopez opening for White. The players fought their way through simple and navigable pawn structures and minor tactical skirmishes before repeating moves to secure the draw. Ding had prepared well and while he had put his opponent under pressure, both players had prepared well.

Game 3 Summary

In Game 3 of the 2024 FIDE World Chess Championship, Gukesh played an aggressive opening, utilizing the King’s Indian Defense against Ding Liren’s 1.d4. Gukesh sensed Ding’s handling of the position, which gave him some really good counterplay, central pawn breaks, a sharp attack and more. In the middle game, Ding was put on the back foot by Gukesh, who had control throughout as the game continued.

Game 4 Summary

Near the critical moments, Gukesh capitalized on an error by Ding to win the material. Fittingly, Ding, famous for his mettle, attempted to claim the initiative but couldn’t come up with anything to neutralize Gukesh’s advantage. Gukesh’s win gave him a lead in the match which he then pushed further.​

Ding Liren instead surprised Gukesh in Game 4 with the unorthodox 1.Nf3, aiming to bury him in the ‘king’s pawn’ openings he faced against him. Ding however lost his initiative having been dealt with by Gukesh, the latter using solid defensive strategies. Neither player had a significant advantage, however some complex middle-game maneuvers. The two played out a draw after 36 moves, both staying in balance throughout. Ding remained ahead 2.5-1.5 in the match, the result.​

Game 5 Summary

Gukesh slipped up in a way that brought him back to earth in Game 5 of the 2024 FIDE World Chess Championship, having a bad blunder but Ding Liren missed a few more chances to make a meal out of it. Although Ding enjoyed positional superiority, the game was complicated. And they managed the middlegame carefully before it finished drawn after 41 moves. Lucky for Gukesh, the match score was 3.5 and he would avoid a loss.

Game 6 Summary

The match for Game 6 was a really tough one ending with a drawn match. No player showed up, but both of them were skilled. We played a series of subtle, nitty gritty middle game positions and defenses that ended in a balanced endgame in which each side had plenty of chances but couldn’t convert them into a win.
This game offered plenty of opening preparation, transitioning to their complex tactical skirmishes. At the end of the game, the balance was achieved through some quality defenses and turnaround, and they were equally good competitors at this stage of the match​.

Game 7 Summary

The hard-fought draw in game 7 of the 2024 FIDE World Chess Championship between Ding Liren and Gukesh went over five hours. Gukesh, White, played a Reti; 7.Re1 was a rare move (that went on to lead to this complex position). Gukesh mismanaged his advantage only to miss a critical chance to take the initiative which Ding missed the chance to capitalize on with an early error and a long one.
At move 26, Gukethada strong position with Ding under pressure. But Ding’s defensive play was stubborn. To the brink of disaster,r he held on after a critical error at move 40. Gukesh had a material advantage but his time trouble showed as he failed to take advantage. The right defensive resources were found by Ding to earn parity in the position. After 72 moves there was no time left on the clock and all pawns were cleared off the board so both of us agreed on a draw.
It was a crucial point in the match, said Gukesh, who had missed a big opportunity to win but remained optimistic, boasting that there are still many games to play.

Game 8 Summary

The game was a complex, dramatic 8th of the 2024 FIDE World Chess Championship between Ding Liren and Gukesh that had chances to win for both players at different points and remained draws. Both players scrambled for clarity as Ding exposed Gukesh’s rook and an unusual pawn structure left both players scrambling and Gukesh applied pressure early with a novelty.

Just when a decisive advantage for Gukesh was on the cards, he made a mistake (26…Ndc5) that would have led to a win. Instead, Ding saw a better route: 26…Nac5, when he started to create counterplay. The game became a sharp, tactical battle in which Ding found the resourceful 28.Qe1! to stay in the game and resume control of a battle.
Gukesh had Ding on the verge of losing and yet still held on for the draw. The game ended with a draw by repetition.

Game 9 Summary

Game 9 of the 2024 FIDE World Chess Championship between Ding Liren and Gukesh drew after 54 moves. The Catalan opening is a highly theoretical and well-understood choice at the top level and the game was played in that opening. If you’ve never watched him play before, Gukesh introduces a subtle innovation in 10.Bc3, but both players played a competent opening phase to arrive at a balanced middle game. When White’s 20.Qb5 was slightly inaccurate, Ding seemed to find the right moves for Black so that White’s advantage, if at all, had been neutralized.
Ding then played poorly, getting material in the queenside and trading it away to equalize, and they both ended up in a drawn endgame. The position held out the slimmest of relative chances of winning for Ding, yet it was a draw straight away pretty much by definition thanks to a quiet rook endgame. Nine games in and the match is still tied at 4.5-4.5

Game 10 Summary

Game 10 between Ding Liren and challenger Gukesh D finished in a cautious draw after 36 moves. Ding Liren’s favored 1.d4 started the game, which ended up as a familiar London System structure for both players. On move 10…Nh5 Gukesh spent time analyzing this, opting for a rare knight diversion that shortens the position. Early into the game they both traded queens, and the game turned into a symmetrical ending with little imbalances. Finally, the game reached a draw when both players had their bishops and 6 pawns and there was no knockout path to victory. However, this result resulted in an overall match at par, where both contenders played as caution strikes with each move bearing its weight due to the closeness of the championship​.

Game 11 Summary

Gukesh D, 18, records a memorable victory in Game 11 of the 2024 FIDE World Chess Championship, taking a one-point lead in three of them. It was a tense, rollercoaster scrap in which Ding made a high-profile error under mutual time pressure.
Gukesh opened with the Reti against whom Ding made a sharp line, possibly a mistake that got him in trouble early on. Ding struggled with his decision-making, as a result taking a lot of his time for each move, and he found himself in a tricky position. While Gukesh initially lost some advantage, this put Ding in pressure which he recovered, and by the middle of the game, his position deteriorated.
But their best chance came in the late game when Ding blundered with 28…Qc8 under massive pressure, down a knight, and essentially finished off his chances. But Gukesh capitalized immediately, wrapping up a decisive 29-move victory. This win means Gukesh moves ahead 6.5 to Ding’s 5.5 and Ding will now have to defend his title.

Game 12 Summary

Ding Liren bounced back with a dominant win over Gukesh as the 2024 World Chess Championship game 12 finished 6:6, even in the match. Much of it was down to Ding taking control early, something he did especially after Gukesh’s 10…h6, a slow move which he felt allowed Ding to patiently outmaneuver his opponent. Gukesh found that his precise positional play — including the powerful 17.Qd2 — had put him in a defensive posture. Gukesh made some mistakes such as 22…Bg5, but Ding kept the initiative with precise and careful play the finish being a checkmate threat which took Gukesh’s resistance away after 39. Rxg7+​.

Game 13 Summary

In Game 13 of the 2024 FIDE World Chess Championship, Ding Liren and Gukesh drew an intense, exciting match. White struggled to find a way to handle Gukesh and spent much of his time scrambling to fend off the Indian youngster’s pressure. Both players also had problems with time, which is a rare occurrence, often inviting player time over the board. Earlier, Ding had just a few minutes left to make many moves, but he defended well under pressure, even sacrificing a pawn in a rook endgame. Ding’s precise moves saw Gukesh’s attempts to press for a win, had no effect and they reached the crucial 68 moves draw.
The match goes to a final game, with Ding playing White and the game leveled at 6.5-6.5. In case that the final game will end with a draw, a tiebreaker will be arranged to decide the champion.

Game 14(the final match) summary

In the 14th game of the 2024 FIDE World Chess Championship, fifth seeded Ding Liren threatened to escape a potentially losing position against favourite Gukesh. Ding really put himself in trouble at one point when Gukesh pushed him into a corner. But Ding was also well up to the defensive task under pressure of time. On move 31 Ding gets away with his H2 pawn sacrifice on the defensive move 31…Rf8!, see below, in merely surviving the white pressure.
Yet Ding played solidly, exchanging queens to bring the game to a rook endgame he was able to hold in the rook endgame despite Gukesh’s attempts to keep the game going.
Reigning champion Ding Liren was defeated in an endgame by Gukesh Dommaraju to clinch the crown at the 2024 World Chess Championship. The last game was tied 6 all with the two players each into the final match. The level of strategy from both players was so good, that the game was tense. And yet Ding, who was in a good position, frittered it away with a moment of error on his 55th move: misplacing his rook. The opening error allowed Gukesh to simplify the position to a king and pawn versus king endgame, where Ding had no chance to recover. After a few moves, Ding resigned and Black (Gukesh) won the match 7.5–6.5​.

The Exclusive Club of  World Chess Champions 

1. Wilhelm Steinitz (1886–1894)

   – Lost to Emanuel Lasker.

2. Emanuel Lasker (1894–1921)

   – Lost to José Raúl Capablanca.

3. José Raúl Capablanca (1921–1927)

   – Lost to Alexander Alekhine.

4. Alexander Alekhine (1927–1935) 

   – Lost to Max Euwe.  

   – Regained title in 1937 from Max Euwe.

5. Max Euwe (1935–1937)  

   – Lost to Alexander Alekhine.

6. Mikhail Botvinnik (1948–1957, 1958–1960, 1961–1963)

   – Lost to Vasily Smyslov (1957) and Mikhail Tal (1960).  

   – Regained title from Smyslov (1958) and Tal (1961).  

   – Lost to Tigran Petrosian (1963).

7. Vasily Smyslov (1957–1958)

   – Lost to Mikhail Botvinnik.

8. Mikhail Tal (1960–1961)

   – Lost to Mikhail Botvinnik.

9. Tigran Petrosian (1963–1969)

   – Lost to Boris Spassky.

10. Boris Spassky (1969–1972)

    – Lost to Bobby Fischer.

11. Bobby Fischer (1972–1975)

    – Forfeited title to Anatoly Karpov.

12. Anatoly Karpov (1975–1985)

    – Lost to Garry Kasparov.

13. Garry Kasparov (1985–2000)

    – Lost to Vladimir Kramnik.

14. Vladimir Kramnik (2000–2007)

    – Lost to Viswanathan Anand.

15. Viswanathan Anand (2007–2013)

    – Lost to Magnus Carlsen.

16. Magnus Carlsen (2013–2023) 

    – Relinquished the title; did not defend it in 2023.

17. Ding Liren (2023–2024)

    – Lost to Gukesh Dommaraju

18. Gukesh Dommaraju (Present)

• Won against Ding Liren