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Gukesh Wins 2024 Chess World Championship: 13 Conclusions

Gukesh Wins 2024 Chess World Championship: 13 Conclusions
Ella Bennet
Ella Bennet


The period of India’s GM Gukesh Dommaraju as chess world champion has begun, after an extremely hard-fought 2024 FIDE World Championship in Singapore immediately ended when the Chinese reigning champion GM Ding Liren blundered within the ultimate classical recreation. We check out a few of the conclusions we will draw from an occasion which will show to be a turning level in chess historical past.

The 2024 FIDE World Championship got here to an finish in Singapore on Friday with the closing ceremony, which you’ll be able to rewatch beneath.

 Let’s check out some conclusions.

  1. Gukesh Is The 18th World Chess Champion At 18

  2. Dreams Can Come True

  3. It Was A Great Match

  4. The End Was Anticlimactic—And Spectacular!

  5. Gukesh Keeps Dodging Tiebreaks

  6. Gukesh’s Mentality Was Almost Too Good

  7. Ding Was A Revelation After A Tough Year

  8. Ding’s Self-Belief Still Let Him Down

  9. Gukesh Had An Amazing Team, But Opening Battle Was A Tie

  10. Gukesh’s Win Is Great For Chess

  11. Gukesh Is Going To Be Very Rich

  12. Carlsen And Other Tests Await

  13. Ding Happy To Chill But Keep On Playing (Not Only Bughouse)

1. Gukesh Is The 18th World Chess Champion At 18

When a lot of the particulars of the match in Singapore have been forgotten, the naked information will stay: Gukesh is just the 18th participant to have change into the undisputed chess champion of the world. And he did it on the age of simply 18.

He’s 4 years youthful than the legendary GM Garry Kasparov was when he took the title from GM Anatoly Karpov in 1985, with Kasparov in flip a couple of months youthful than one other candidate for the best of all time, GM Magnus Carlsen, who gained the title in 2013 from India’s first world champion, GM Viswanathan Anand.

As a seven-year-old, Gukesh watched Carlsen and Anand play when the match was held in his house metropolis of Chennai and had a dream: “When Magnus gained, I assumed I actually need to be the one to carry again the title to India, and this dream that I had greater than 10 years in the past has been the only most vital factor in my life thus far.”

When Magnus gained, I assumed I actually need to be the one to carry again the title to India.

—Gukesh Dommaraju

2. Dreams Can Come True

“The solely approach to clarify is simply I’m dwelling my dream!” stated Gukesh after his triumph, although he revealed that for him the dream started to be fulfilled within the very first recreation, regardless of it ending in a loss:

The recreation didn’t go nice, however as I stated, in 2013 I used to be exterior the glass field. I didn’t get a seat within the viewers to look at the match, so at the moment I simply checked out Vishy sir and Magnus and I assumed, it’ll be actually cool to be there in the future, and to truly be there and sit there and to see the Indian flag subsequent to me. It was most likely one of the best second.

Gukesh’s dream grew to become extra particular, since after successful the Under 11 Indian Championship in 2017 he famously instructed IM Sagar Shah, “I need to change into the youngest world chess champion.”

“I didn’t pay any consideration to it at that second,” admitted Shah within the Take Take Take recap of the ultimate recreation of the 2024 World Championship, since as he defined, “When you interview any younger child, they are saying that they need to change into the world champion.”

This child, nonetheless, was the actual deal.

Gukesh on a second he’d lived for: “For me to truly be right here and maintain this trophy and expertise this second, in actuality, it means greater than anything in my life.” Photo: Maria Emelianova/Chess.com.

3. It Was A Great Match

There had been fears earlier than the match in Singapore of a blowout, with chess followers struggling to look at as an out-of-shape world champion collapsed earlier than our eyes. What truly occurred, nonetheless, was nothing of the type.

Ding got here out combating, gained the primary recreation, and after Gukesh hit again in recreation three, we obtained an extremely tense “middlegame” of seven attracts that had been jam-packed with close to misses for either side. When Gukesh gained recreation 11 to take the lead for the primary time, it felt as if the pre-tournament favourite would now ease to victory, however Ding struck straight again, with Gukesh confessing, “He utterly destroyed me that recreation!”

The motion went proper right down to the wire.  

4. The End Was Anticlimactic—And Spectacular!

In the latter phases of recreation 14, everybody’s ideas had been turning to tiebreaks the subsequent day, with Gukesh himself saying, “I assumed we’re going to play for five-six hours, it’s going to finish in a draw, and let’s concentrate on the tiebreaks.”

Then immediately Ding put his rook on the fallacious sq. and, a couple of inevitable strikes later, the match was over with the shocked gamers overwhelmed with pleasure or despair!

It was a tragic manner for a champion to lose his crown and disadvantaged us of one other day of intense chess, with Carlsen commenting in his recap, “It was extraordinarily anticlimactic—after all, the second of Gukesh sitting there on the board in tears, that was stunning, however the chess a part of it was actually not.”

As Gukesh defined, nonetheless, chess followers can’t have every part. He felt that the explanation he couldn’t management his feelings was exactly that issues had occurred so immediately: “I used to be already getting ready myself to undergo that vast tiebreak struggle, and immediately it was throughout and I’d achieved my dream. I’m not somebody who reveals lots of feelings, however I feel this one may be forgiven.”

I’m not somebody who reveals lots of feelings, however I feel this one may be forgiven.

—Gukesh Dommaraju

Ding stated within the post-game press convention that he had no regrets, however in an interview with FM Mike Klein a day later he admitted to only one: “What I need to do is be again to the second after I performed Rf2, to inform myself to settle down, to suppose for another second, to determine what’s fallacious with this.”

5. Gukesh Keeps Dodging Tiebreaks

Ding, like many chess followers, felt an absence on Friday.

It wasn’t the primary time Gukesh had narrowly escaped tiebreaks. If GM Fabiano Caruana had gained a successful place in opposition to GM Ian Nepomniachtchi within the ultimate spherical of the Toronto Candidates, Caruana would have gone head-to-head with Gukesh for the fitting to play Ding. 

Caruana is presently ranked third in fast chess, whereas Gukesh is forty fourth. In Singapore, in the meantime, it will be the fast world number-two, Ding, that Gukesh would have needed to face in velocity chess.

Of course, it’s removed from a on condition that Ding could be the favourite, since quite a bit nonetheless is determined by nerves and opening preparation, whereas Gukesh’s workforce, which had clearly been thorough in each side, would have organized coaching video games and ready him as greatest as they probably might. Still, all of the accessible information right now means that Gukesh is weaker at sooner chess time controls.

Gukesh might lastly loosen up in Singapore on Friday as a substitute of dealing with tiebreaks. Photo: Eng Chin An/FIDE.

Gukesh himself hinted at a concern of fast and blitz when, whereas crediting God for occasions on the trail to the world title, he added of the Candidates, “Last spherical, it might have gone to tiebreaks, however God helped me, and even right here, it might have gone to tiebreaks—on and on, so many issues that God has performed, and it couldn’t have been by anybody else.”

6. Gukesh’s Mentality Was Almost Too Good

One large asset on Gukesh’s facet is his psychological power. As properly as having a perception in God and a pure calm, he’d been working with considered one of sports activities’ best-known psychological coaches, Paddy Upton. The South African, who beforehand labored with the Indian cricket workforce, revealed he had met weekly with Gukesh for six months.

Gukesh valued that contribution and commented, “It’s actually cool that Paddy helped Indian cricket within the 2011 World Cup, and this time he has helped chess 13 years later.” He stated the coach “performed an enormous function on this match.”

The built-up resilience was seen in how Gukesh reacted to the loss in spherical one, with barely any emotion seen in that first press convention, although within the ultimate press convention Gukesh revealed the way it had felt. He commented:

No matter how a lot you put together for it, you come right here as an 18-year-old and also you lose the primary recreation the way in which I did—it’s humiliating, a bit, so it was fairly powerful to deal with that. But after the sport, there was a pleasant second as a result of I used to be strolling again to the lodge within the carry and Vishy sir was additionally within the carry, and he instructed me, “I had 11 video games, you might have 13 video games,” and that is the one factor he stated.

You come right here as an 18-year-old and also you lose the primary recreation the way in which I did—it is humiliating.

—Gukesh Dommaraju

Anand was referring to how he’d misplaced recreation considered one of his match in opposition to GM Veselin Topalov in 2010 however stormed again to retain his title.

Gukesh’s power additionally comes from his mother and father. He stated of his mum: “She says she could be very joyful to listen to individuals saying her son is a superb chess participant, however it will be much more joyful for her to listen to that her son is a good larger particular person.” Photo: Maria Emelianova/Chess.com.

Gukesh’s will to win at instances appeared questionable, since twice he rejected a draw by repetition in positions the place solely his opponent could possibly be higher, whereas even within the final recreation he made the transfer 13…Bb6?! that Carlsen described as “ambition with out ammunition.”

It was all a part of a plan, with Gukesh and his workforce satisfied it was the fitting alternative, partly based mostly on tiring out the opponent. He instructed Klein:

The sort of strategy I’m most pleased with is how I used to be pushing, exhausting each single useful resource until the very finish in each single place, with out taking utterly loopy dangers. I did take some dangers, however my strategy was to make use of each little probability, which ultimately obtained me the title.

7. Ding Was A Revelation After A Tough Year

Little was anticipated of the Ding who had dropped to twenty third on the earth and had gone over 300 days with out a classical win. Instead, we noticed the participant who was recognizable because the colossus who had strode the chess world a couple of years earlier.

By the closing ceremony, Ding could possibly be pleased with what he’d performed. Photo: Maria Emelianova/Chess.com.

When he took over within the first recreation, he immediately performed a quick sequence of highly effective strikes that rocked Gukesh, and we’d see such moments in most of the video games—even when typically it was out of necessity because of shaky dealing with of the clock. His win in recreation 12 is by far the smoothest win of the match, together with his second GM Richard Rapport commenting in a recap of the match for the Chinese Chess Association: “We had two wins, which is already very difficult to achieve, and also those two wins were on an extremely high level, completely outplaying the opponent in both games.”

“I feel he performed total higher chess, quality-wise, than the opponent,” stated Rapport, and when you can argue that time, what was spectacular was that Ding additionally confirmed improbable combating spirit. Gukesh’s reward was effusive:

In the video games the place he was nearly going to surrender, the place the place was utterly shedding for him, he saved discovering assets, he saved combating, after which as soon as I took the lead he performed an incredible recreation to struggle again.… Any regular human being would have simply given up at that time, however then he got here the subsequent day and he performed an awesome recreation. He utterly destroyed me that recreation, and it was actually inspiring to see that regardless of how the percentages are in opposition to him, he saved combating. He saved coming to the board and giving it his all. He’s an actual inspiration for me! 

Any regular human being would have simply given up at that time, however then he got here the subsequent day and he performed an awesome recreation. 

—Gukesh Dommaraju

Gukesh stated that one of many issues Upton had labored with him on was “this uncertainty with my opponent’s type,” and the match confirmed why it was obligatory.  

8. Ding’s Self-Belief Still Let Him Down

Nevertheless, what clearly prevented Ding from doing higher within the match had been his self-doubt, underestimation of his positions, and the wrestle to power himself to press house his benefits when he was nonetheless degree or main within the match. Already in recreation two, he had shocked observers by merely taking a attract a barely higher and utterly risk-free endgame place which Carlsen stated is what you dream of in a world championship match.

Many extra examples would comply with, with Ding’s readiness to power attracts from higher and even close-to-winning positions stunning observers.

Ding was higher in all three video games he misplaced, together with the ultimate one. There Ding was shocked within the opening however quickly ended up in a a lot better place, with Gukesh’s workforce later admitting to the challenger forgetting his preparation. If Ding had been trailing within the match, he would have pushed for a win and may need succeeded. Instead, he went for a forcing transfer to attempt to liquidate towards a draw. Then the “unconscionable” (GM Hikaru Nakamura) transfer 26.a4?! and he was as a substitute combating for a draw a pawn down.

In complete, Ding didn’t press benefits in round six of the 14 video games, which is leaving too many factors on the desk to be assured of success. Asked about Gukesh pushing in positions the place he was worse, Ding commented, “Maybe fortune favors the courageous.” On this event, it did.  

9. Gukesh Had An Amazing Team, But Opening Battle Was A Tie

Gukesh, as a nationwide hero in a nation of 1.4 billion individuals, appeared to have all however limitless help from personal and authorities sources, and that confirmed within the formidable workforce he assembled. 

The Polish connection is comprehensible, with Anand beforehand having labored with GM Radoslaw Wojtaszek in world championship matches earlier than GM Grzegorz Gajewski took over as his fundamental coach.

Gajewski, Wojtaszek, and GM Pentala Harikrishna, together with 17-year-old IM Jan Klimkowski, all labored with Gukesh for the FIDE Candidates Tournament in Toronto that certified Gukesh for the match.

GM Jan-Krzysztof Duda, who performed within the 2022 Candidates, and 20-year-old GM Vincent Keymer, a possible world champion himself, joined for the match, with Duda particularly there to play coaching video games in opposition to Gukesh. With assist from the legendary Anand, a five-time world champion, Gukesh had a exceptional workforce, nevertheless it’s value noting that Ding’s workforce of Rapport and GM Ni Hua (and one other unannounced participant or two) held their very own.

Gukesh used each alternative to credit score his workforce. Photo: Eng Chin An/FIDE.

In phrases of who gained the opening battle in every recreation, the match was evenly tied. Ding did higher early on, whereas Gukesh was urgent arduous in the course of the match throughout the sequence of seven attracts, whereas on the finish each had possibilities. A few early surprises by Gukesh solely landed him in unhealthy positions, together with within the ultimate recreation.

Team Ding additionally managed, if to not revive the French Defense, then a minimum of to get away with enjoying it on the very highest degree. Carlsen commented: “Ding performed the French, and apparently wasn’t even very well-prepared for the French, and nonetheless he truly scored +1 with the French Defense, which is fairly unimaginable!”

Wojtaszek, for one, is joyful to have seen the tip of it! 

10. Gukesh’s Win Is Great For Chess

Becoming world champion is a purpose for any very robust chess participant, however as Carlsen famous, that doesn’t imply you need it fairly as a lot as Gukesh clearly did.

Honestly, it’s heart-warming to see how a lot it means for Gukesh to win. I don’t suppose I ever had that very same dream as him, so it didn’t actually imply as a lot to me. I sort of needed it too, nevertheless it actually didn’t, however to see the way in which he talks about it, it was a very stunning second!

I don’t suppose I ever had that very same dream as him, so it didn’t actually imply as a lot to me. I sort of needed it too, nevertheless it actually didn’t.

—Magnus Carlsen on Gukesh changing into world champion

Gukesh desires to be the world champion, and he desires to play classical chess, whereas even earlier than the ultimate recreation, Ding had talked within the post-game press convention about planning to play extra fast and blitz (like Carlsen) within the coming yr.

Gukesh Dommaraju finds himself the place he is all the time needed to be. Photo: Maria Emelianova/Chess.com.

Needless to say, it’s good to have a champion who desires to play within the high occasions and show himself, whereas having one other Indian champion ought to solely supercharge the already unimaginable progress of chess in India. If Ding had gained, in the meantime, there’s no purpose to suppose we might see any change in China, the place the Chinese type of chess stays extra fashionable.    

11. Gukesh Is Going To Be Very Rich

Before the match, the brand new system of $200,000 for successful a recreation with the remainder of the $2.5 million prize fund break up equally appeared as if it’d imply that Ding, the underdog, would win a lesser share of the pot than in earlier matches. Instead it was the alternative: Gukesh gained $1.35 million and Ding took $1.15 million, whereas on the earlier 60:40 break up that might have been $1.5 and $1 million.

Such small variations are unlikely to matter for Gukesh, nonetheless, who now has the world at his ft. The custom in India has been to reward sportsmen, with Gukesh beforehand even receiving a Mercedes from his school. Cash prizes follow from politicians, with the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu M K Stalin already announcing a prize of around $600,000. 

That’s just the start—all types of business alternatives will open up for Gukesh and his workforce. He talked within the press convention about his household needing the help of associates to fund his chess profession early on, however cash is unlikely to be a priority for the remainder of his life.    

12. Carlsen And Other Tests Await

For Gukesh, nonetheless, such issues are secondary, and he’s utterly centered on chess objectives. Like Ding earlier than him, he’s earned the most important title in chess with out topping the score listing, and the dream goes on:

Obviously changing into the world champion doesn’t imply I’m one of the best participant on the earth. Obviously there’s Magnus. So it’s additionally a motivating issue that there’s somebody at a really, very excessive degree, one thing that can hold me doing the fitting issues, working arduous, and attempting to achieve the extent of greatness that Magnus has achieved.

Obviously changing into the world champion doesn’t suggest I’m one of the best participant on the earth.

—Gukesh Dommaraju

Gukesh fever has begun! Photo: Maria Emelianova/Chess.com.

Carlsen feels that Gukesh has time and room to enhance:

I feel it’s a very good factor for him that there’re two years now till he has to defend his title as a result of I feel if he was enjoying any individual like Fabi or Hikaru on this match and performed the identical manner, he would most likely have had a really tough time.

He wouldn’t be shocked if Gukesh is the participant to knock him off the highest spot:

Winning this championship, I’m positive it’s extraordinarily motivating, so there’s a superb probability that he’s going to go on an awesome run of outcomes now, perhaps even set up himself because the number-two participant on the earth, and who is aware of, perhaps within the not too distant future, number-one.

But Carlsen shot again when IM Levy Rozman suggested Gukesh might pass him if he continues to perform as he did in the match: “I didn’t lose Elo during this tournament, though!”

Let’s hope we get a great rivalry ahead!  

13. Ding Happy To Chill But Keep On Playing (Not Only Bughouse)

Although Ding came incredibly close to retaining his title, it’s hard not to feel the loss may be some relief. His reign has been short, but still longer than that of legendary GMs Vasily Smyslov and Mikhail Tal, who lost rematches to GM Mikhail Botvinnik, but still hold honored places in chess history.

Ding Liren received the runner-up medal from GM Kevin Goh Wei Ming. Photo: Maria Emelianova/Chess.com.

The burden of the crown on Ding was obvious, and he told Klein after the match was over, “There’s not so many obligations, responsibilities—if I play not so well, there won’t be so many people saying I’m not a worthy world champion.”

You could see him already calm in the post-match press conference, while the same evening he accepted an invitation to play bughouse with a friend, joking, “But still my tactical vision was quite bad—I missed many simple tactics!”

The subsequent day he was filled with smiles whereas assembly younger followers.

Ding discovered many new supporters throughout the match and is a fan of the memes about his chilling. He commented, “I actually favored the cartoon image of this Ding chilling, a really cute man with a good-looking look!”

Will Ding attempt to battle his manner again to the title, which first means reaching the 2026 Candidates Tournament? He famous that, for the primary time, there’s no automated spot for the loser of the match, and “I’ve to do it from zero.”

One route is by way of the FIDE Circuit. In a change from the revealed laws for 2024, the factors accessible for 2025 for ending runner-up within the match have been doubled, in order that as a substitute of 20.32 factors, Ding will get 40.64—the next single end result than anybody else will be capable of obtain in 2025.

Still, that’s simply considered one of seven outcomes, and Ding isn’t presently planning to play as many classical occasions as he’d should be eligible. He instructed Klein: “Maybe I’ll play within the World Cup or some qualification event, however I feel I gained’t strive from the [FIDE Circuit]—it requires too many tournaments.”

In any case, let’s hope we see lots of Ding—and Gukesh—in 2025, as a brand new period in chess begins!

Where now for Gukesh? Photo: Maria Emelianova/Chess.com.

The 2024 FIDE World Championship in Singapore has determined the subsequent world champion. 18-year-old Indian Challenger Gukesh Dommaraju took on Chinese Defending Champion Ding Liren in a 14-game match, with the primary to 7.5 factors successful. The gamers had two hours for 40 strikes, then half-hour to the tip of the sport, with 30 seconds added every transfer from transfer 41 onwards. The prize fund was $2,500,000, with $200,000 for a win and the remaining cash break up equally. If tied 7-7, a playoff would have taken place, beginning with 4 video games of 15+10 fast chess.

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Ella Bennet
Ella Bennet
Ella Bennet brings a fresh perspective to the world of journalism, combining her youthful energy with a keen eye for detail. Her passion for storytelling and commitment to delivering reliable information make her a trusted voice in the industry. Whether she’s unraveling complex issues or highlighting inspiring stories, her writing resonates with readers, drawing them in with clarity and depth.
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