Ding Liren, the defending world chess champion, was forced to repent the ‘blunder’ he committed in Thursday’s 14th and final game against India’s D Gukesh. Liren’s lapse in judgment proved expensive, as Gukesh capitalized on it to become the game’s youngest global champion.
While most chess fans are overjoyed to witness 18-year-old Gukesh create history, Russian Chess Federation chief Andrei Filatov has accused China’s Liren of deliberately losing the game. According to Russian news agency TASS, Filatov has requested that the International Chess Federation (FIDE) investigate the outcome.
Professionals and chess lovers were confused by the outcome of the previous game. “The Chinese chess player’s actions during the decisive segment are highly suspicious and call for a separate investigation by FIDE,” he stated.
Even a top player finds it challenging to lose the position that Ding Liren had.
Gukesh continued the remarkable legacy of the legendary Viswanathan Anand, who won the award five times during his career and became only the second Indian to do so.
The 55-year-old Anand, who had entered “semi-retirement,” incidentally, was instrumental in helping to mold Gukesh at his Chennai chess academy. After winning the 14th and final classical time control game of the match, which for the most part looked like it would end in a draw, Gukesh earned the necessary 7.5 points against his Chinese opponent’s 6.5.
He would receive a staggering USD 1.3 million (about Rs 11.03 crore) as the winner out of the 2.5 million prize fund. After the momentous victory, the quiet Chennai boy told reporters, “I am happy that I realized the dream (and made it into reality).”