Elon Musk congratulates Gukesh for World Chess Championship win

Gukesh took to X to share his achievement with his followers and fans. "18th @ 18!" he wrote, highlighting his remarkable feat at a young age.

"Congratulations!" Musk wrote in a simple yet warm message.

On Thursday, Gukesh became the youngest World Chess Champion at just 18, defeating China’s Ding Liren in the 14th and final game of an intense match.

Securing 7.5 points to Liren's 6.5, Gukesh clinched victory in a game that initially seemed destined for a draw.

Russian legend Garry Kasparov held the record as the youngest World Chess Champion, winning the title at 22 in 1985 by dethroning Anatoly Karpov.

Gukesh, who earned his place in the championship after winning the Candidates Tournament earlier this year, is now only the second Indian to claim the world title, following the iconic Viswanathan Anand, a five-time champion who last won in 2013.

Reflecting on his victory, Gukesh recalled the inspiration he drew from Anand’s 2013 match.

"I was in the stands, looking inside the glass box where the players were, and I thought, It will be so cool to be inside one day. When Magnus won, I thought, I really want to be the one to bring the title back to India. This dream, which I've carried for over 10 years, has been the most important thing in my life so far," he said, according to a report in the media.

Having become a chess grandmaster at just 12, Gukesh has long been seen as a rising star in the chess world.

Now, at 18, he surpassed Kasparov's youthful record by four years, solidifying his place in history and continuing India's proud chess legacy on the global stage.  

However, Gukesh’s win attracted criticism from some chess icons, who felt there was a drop in the quality of the game played in the tournament.

Former world chess champion Vladimir Kramnik criticized the quality of the World Chess Championship match between D. Gukesh and Ding Liren. He described Ding's blunder in the final game as "childish" and called it "the end of chess as we know it." Magnus Carlsen also commented negatively, comparing earlier rounds to lower-tier tournaments, according to media reports.

Despite these criticisms, chess legend Viswanathan Anand advised Gukesh to ignore such remarks, celebrating his achievement as the youngest World Chess Champion at 18

When asked about Magnus Carlsen's critique, Gukesh said he was unaffected, acknowledging that while some games lacked high quality, World Championship matches hinge not only on chess skill but also on character and willpower.

"Not really," he responded when asked if the comments upset him, reported India Today.

"I think the world championship matches are decided not purely by chess but by who has the better character and who has the better willpower. And I think those qualities, I did show quite well," he added.

Gukesh admitted his chess performance wasn't at its peak due to the unique pressures of the event but highlighted his ability to strike at critical moments.

"The pure chess part was not at a very high level as I would have liked it to be... It's understandable that I was a bit off, but I managed to strike at the critical moments, which I am happy about," he explained, according to the India Today report.