Indian Grandmaster D Gukesh on Thursday made history by becoming the youngest-ever world chess champion after beating China's Ding Liren. Following his victory, a heart-warming throwback video of the 18-year-old has gone viral on social media, which shows an 11-year-old Gukesh confidently revealing that he wants to be the "youngest world champion" during an interview. In the clip, ChessBase India CEO, Sagar Shah, asks the young prodigy about his ambitions. To this, then 11-year-old Gukesh, with a radiant smile and no hesitation, declares, "I want to become the youngest world champion".
The video surfaced on X after Gukesh turned his lifelong dream into reality. "mandatory Gukesh post (quick edit)," an X user wrote while sharing the clip on the micro-blogging website.
Watch the video below:
Since being shared, the video has garnered more than 182,000 views and over 4,500 likes. In the comments section, users expressed how belief, focus, and hard work can turn one's desires and dreams into reality.
"Real manifestation in action!" wrote one user. "People don't know yet how big of a deal this is. Gukesh has changed the dynamics of Indian Chess forever with this victory. It's just getting started," commented another.
"That's the power of manifestation and congratulations, and I'm proud of him," wrote a third user. "Manifest your dream, believe in your hard work and trust the Universe," said another.
"Happiness in his eyes when his dream came true," wrote one user.
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After Thursday's triumph, Gukesh became the second Indian to win the title after Viswanathan Anand. He beat the record previously held by Garry Kasparov (22 years 6 months 27 days). His victory in game 14 gave him a score of 7.5 against Ding's 6.5. Gukesh termed the win as the "best moment of his life" in the post-match press conference. He also praised Ding, saying he "fought like a true champion".
Following the game, Ding said in the post-match press conference, "I was totally in shock when I realized I made a blunder. I will continue to play. I think I played my best tournament of the year. It could be better, but considering yesterday's lucky survive it is a fair result to lose in the end. I have no regrets."
Notably, in April, the 18-year-old also created history as he won the FIDE Candidates Chess Tournament 2024, becoming the youngest-ever challenger to the world title held by Ding Liren.
