"Suspicious, Requires Investigation": Ding Liren Accused Of 'Deliberately' Losing To D Gukesh

Defending world chess champion Ding Liren was made to rue the 'blunder' he made in the 14th and final game against India's D Gukesh on Thursday. Liren's error of judgment turned out to be a costly one as Gukesh pounced on the mistake to become the youngest world champion in the history of the game. While most of the chess fraternity is elated to see the 18-year-old Gukesh make history, Russian Chess Federation chief Andrei Filatov has accused China's Liren of losing the game on purpose.

Russian news agency TASS quoted Filatov asking the International Chess Federation (FIDE) to open a probe and investigate the result.

"The result of the last game caused bewilderment among professionals and chess fans. The actions of the Chinese chess player in the decisive segment are extremely suspicious and require a separate investigation by FIDE," he said.

"Losing the position in which Ding Liren was is difficult even for a first-class player. The defeat of the Chinese chess player in today's game raises a lot of questions and looks like a deliberate one," he added.

The emotional moment that 18-year-old Gukesh Dommaraju became the 18th world chess champion pic.twitter.com/jRIZrYeyCF

Taking forward the incredible legacy of the great Viswanathan Anand, Gukesh became only the second Indian to clinch the coveted prize after the iconic player, who owned the crown five times in his career.

After settling into "semi-retirement", the 55-year-old Anand, incidentally, played a pivotal role in shaping Gukesh at his chess academy in Chennai.

Gukesh secured the requisite 7.5 points as against 6.5 of his Chinese rival after winning the 14th and last classical time control game of the match that seemed headed for a draw for most part. As winner, he