Indian Grandmaster D Gukesh made history on Thursday by defeating Ding Liren to become the youngest-ever World Chess Champion at the age of 18. Despite facing criticism from chess legends Magnus Carlsen and Vladimir Kramnik over the quality of the match, Gukesh remained unfazed and explained his perspective in a recent interview.

Bullets:

• D Gukesh won the World Chess Championship in Singapore, defeating defending champion Ding Liren 7.5-6.5 in a dramatic Game 14.
• Gukesh became the youngest-ever World Chess Champion at 18 years old.
• The decisive game began evenly, but Liren made a costly blunder, allowing Gukesh to claim victory.
• Gukesh became emotional after his win, visibly crying and receiving widespread congratulatory messages on social media.
• Former world champion Vladimir Kramnik criticized the match, calling it the “end of chess as we know it” and labeling Liren’s blunder as “childish.”
• Magnus Carlsen echoed Kramnik’s views, dismissing the match as “a second or third-round match of an open tournament.”
• In response, Gukesh told BBC World he wasn’t hurt by the criticism and emphasized that the World Championship is not just about chess quality but also character and willpower.
• Gukesh admitted that the match quality could have been better but acknowledged that the pressure of the occasion affected his play.
• He expressed satisfaction with his ability to perform at critical moments, despite the challenges.
• Viswanathan Anand, India’s chess legend, expressed support for Gukesh, praising his victory during the FIDE coronation in Singapore.