Gukesh Dommaraju, 18, of India, captured the undisputed World Championship Chess Crown by beating Chinese world champion Ding Liren two Thursdays ago 7.5 to 6.5 in Singapore as was reported in the Chess Column last Sunday.
Dommaraju’s victory came in the final game of the classical series, Game 14, where he had the black pieces. He is the youngest person to hold the title, surpassing Garry Kasparov who won at age 22, when he defeated Anatoly Karpov in 1985. Liren made a one-move blunder under time trouble deep into the end game with only kings and pawns remaining on the chess board. Analysts say the position was defensible, and the Fritz engine confirmed it. Dommaraju had an extra pawn but the pawn was not passed. The game is featured in today’s column. Dommaraju is the second Indian to hold the title after five-time world champion Viswanathan Anand.