D Gukesh crowned world chess champion by FIDE chief, draped in Indian flag during coronation

Only 18-years-old, D Gukesh was crowned by FIDE as world chess champion on Friday. He was presented with the medal and was also garlanded. He walked up to the stage wrapped up in the Indian flag, and was then handed over the World Championship trophy by FIDE president Arkady Dvorkovich. On receiving the trophy, he took a pause and looked at it, and then smiled at the cheering audience in an emotional manner, and also posed for the cameras.

Then came the big moment for his coronation, his speech. During his speech, he said, “Thank you, thank you everyone. It feels like I have lived this moment a million times in my head. Every morning when I woke up, this moment was the reason why I woke up, the reason why I did every little thing so far. For me to actually be here, hold this trophy and experience this moment in reality, it means more than anything else in my life. Very few people get the opportunity to live this moment in their lives, I am very glad to be one of them.”

He also had special praise for his opponent Ding Liren. He said, “Firstly, I would like to thank the organizers of this match, they did an amazing job. I am super glad to be in a beautiful country such as Singapore and to play this match in beautiful conditions, so huge thanks to Singaporeans, the organizing committee. I would also like to thank my opponent, Ding Liren. He is, in my eyes, a true champion. We saw that, despite a lot of pressure on him, he was able to put on a huge fight and this match was just the show it is because of his fighting spirit and the kind of fighter that he is. I really admire you. Thank you for this amazing fight.”

Gukesh reigned supreme in the decisive 14th Game against defending champion Liren, in Singapore on Thursday. It was a see-saw battle right from the start as Liren tried to force a tie-breaker. But a massive blunder by the Chinese Grandmaster in the 55th move sealed his fate as Gukesh spotted, and then he had to resign, conceding a 6.5-7.5 defeat at the World Chess Championship. Gukesh’s win at the Candidates tournament in April saw him qualify to challenge Liren for the title.