Abhimanyu Mishra, an American chess prodigy with Indian roots, made history when he defeated the reigning world champion, D Gukesh, in a classical chess match at the FIDE Grand Swiss 2025 in Samarkand, Uzbekistan. At the age of 16, Mishra became the youngest player to defeat a world champion in classical chess, breaking a 33-year-old record.
Gukesh, who became the world’s youngest champion earlier this year, lost in 61 moves while playing with black pieces. Mishra’s win surpassed that of American Grandmaster Gata Kamsky, who defeated Garry Kasparov in Dortmund in 1991 at the age of 17.
Despite the historic win, Mishra played down the significance of his victory, saying that he had performed better in previous games. He credited Gukesh’s errors, particularly on the 12th move, when he chose g4 instead of h4, which ultimately weakened his position.
Mishra reflected on his performance, saying his prior win over Yu Yangyi was significantly more satisfying. He also noted that drawing against India’s R Praggnanandhaa in Round 4 from a losing position had boosted his confidence.
Mishra, who became the world’s youngest Grandmaster at 12 years and four months in 2021, is optimistic about his chances of winning the Samarkand tournament.
