At certain moments in sports history, extraordinary events can occur. They are so extraordinary it’s unbelievable.
One such event took place on a humid Thursday evening at the Equarius Hotel on Sentosa Island. D. Gukesh won the World Chess Championship at the age of 18.
Of course, this is a world record that has been held by Garry Kasparov since 1985. At the age of 22, he won the world title, defeating Soviet Anatoly Karpov in an epic battle that lasted more than a year.
The World Chess Championship is now one of the most difficult to win events in international sport. This is a long game. In addition to physical exertion, it also tests mental endurance.
The defending champion will be seeded directly into the Championship, while the challenger must win a qualifying tournament called the Candidates Tournament. In order to become a candidate, players must go through a long and difficult process.
When Gukesh won the Candidates Championship, he became the youngest challenger. The question now is whether he can become the youngest champion.
The answer was revealed on an unforgettable night in Indian sports.
Read | Viswanathan Anand: If the future of chess had a face, it might look a lot like Gukesh
After he completed the 58th move with the king, in a hopeless situation, Ding Liren, the 17th world champion and the first from China, gave in and resigned.
Gukesh cries.
He cried with joy. This was in stark contrast to what had happened the day before, when he had to agree to a draw after squandering his chance to win.
It was indeed a great escape for Din. This isn’t his first time here.
Somehow, when he looks on the edge, on the board, on the clock, he finds the right move – even if it’s the only move, any other move would have doomed him. Just like he did with his car in Race 13.
But in Game 14, after a mistake with his rook – yes, that piece – he had no chance. Houdini had no more room to perform.
The game is about to be tied, which means the game could go into a tie-break on Friday, ending with a rook and a bishop of the same color. Gukesh had an extra piece, but it wasn’t enough.
The only possibility of achieving a decisive result is to make a big mistake.
This is what happens when Ding brings the rook to square “f2” in step 55. He could have taken the rook to another square, or he could have played with his bishop and he would have been safe.
Gukesh immediately exchanged rooks, and then the bishop also left the board. Now, he was clearly in a winning position.
Ding’s king and lone pawn are no match for Gukesh’s king and two connected pawns. Din, visibly shocked, realized the crown was slipping.
He must be hoping history can repeat itself after taking the crown last year after beating Ian Nepomniachtchi in the decider. Not only is he more experienced than his younger opponent, but he also has a significantly better record in speed chess.
So it’s not surprising to see him playing for a position that could give him a draw. But Gukesh has been playing an uncompromising chess here.
He rejected the virtual draw offer and chose to continue play from the draw position. Yes, he had a lucky day.
But he has earned his luck. must.
