Samarkand, Uzbekistan – Sixteen-year-old chess sensation Abhimanyu Mishra produced a stunning upset at the FIDE Grand Swiss tournament by defeating reigning World Champion D Gukesh, the youngest world champion in history.
The victory makes Mishra the youngest player ever to beat a sitting world champion in classical chess, shattering a 33-year-old record previously held by Grandmaster Gata Kamsky.
Born to Indian-origin parents and raised in New Jersey, Mishra has been a prodigy since learning the game at age two. He shot to international prominence in June 2021 when he became the world’s youngest Grandmaster at 12 years, 4 months, and 25 days, breaking Sergey Karjakin’s long-standing mark.
In Samarkand, Mishra faced Gukesh with the black pieces and, after 61 tense moves, sealed the landmark win with precision and nerve.
The triumph not only solidifies Mishra’s standing as one of the brightest rising stars in global chess but also marks a historic moment in the sport’s modern era.
