On December 12, Gukesh Dommaraju created history by becoming the youngest world chess champion by defeating reigning champion Ding Liren in the 14th match of the World Chess Championship. The emotional aftermath of his victory immediately captured hearts online, with one video standing out: Gukesh hugging his father in a deeply moving moment.
Amid cheers from fans and flashes of cameras, Gukesh stormed out of the game room, broke down in tears and gave his father a big hug. His father, who was waiting at the scene with mental conditioning coach Paddy Upton, was smiling proudly. A long embrace full of unspoken words touched everyone present.
Struggling to hold back tears, Gukesh even hugged one of the team members. It was a raw, powerful display of what this monumental achievement means to him, his family and his team.
it is @DGukesh talking @sagarchess1 who @ChessbaseIndia Seven years ago.
What a moment, that. What a moment, this. pic.twitter.com/vhj9CEcKN5
– Amit Varma (@amitvarma) December 12, 2024
The young achiever couldn’t hold back his tears as he got into the team car. Her mother also had a touching phone call.
Mother ❤️ pic.twitter.com/dyn1esI5vN
— ChessBase India (@ChessbaseIndia) December 12, 2024
Reflecting on his victory, Gukesh described Liren’s critical mistake as the “best moment” of his life. Despite the high stakes, he spoke of his opponent with deep respect, calling Liren “one of the best players in history” and a “true world champion”.
‘The title was taken away from India 11 years ago. When I was watching in 2013, looking into the glass box, I thought it would be great to get there one day,” said 18-year-old Gukesh.
“My dream was to bring back the title 10 years ago. There is nothing better than this,’ said Gukesh.
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