Indian teen is youngest world chess champion

India's Gukesh Dommaraju and China's Ding Liren play for chess world title

(Image credit: Roslan Rahman / AFP via Getty Images)

published 13 December 2024

What happened

Gukesh Dommaraju, 18, became the youngest chess world champion when he unseated China's Ding Liren at the FIDE World Chess Championship in Singapore Thursday. The Indian prodigy broke a record set by Russia's Garry Kasparov, who was 22 when he first won the title in 1985.

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.