India’s rising star, Gukesh Dommaraju, made history by becoming the youngest player to emerge victorious in the men’s Candidates chess tournament. The thrilling final day in Toronto saw him secure the title with a draw against Hikaru Nakamura.
At just 17 years old, the grandmaster sealed his triumph as American Fabiano Caruana missed a winning opportunity against Russian Ian Nepomniachtchi, resulting in a draw.
Gukesh’s strategic draw with the black pieces led him to finish on top with 9/14 points, tying with Nakamura, Nepomniachtchi, and Caruana at 8.5/14.
Standings | After Round 14 | #FIDECandidates
🇮🇳 Gukesh D emerges as the champion of the FIDE Candidates with a remarkable score of 9/14. pic.twitter.com/BrB7szcpbd
— International Chess Federation (@FIDE_chess) April 22, 2024
Following this victory, Gukesh is now set to face the reigning champion, Ding Liren of China, in a highly anticipated world chess title showdown.
Hailing from Chennai, in the southern state of Tamil Nadu, the young grandmaster described the final match as “crazy” and expressed his emotions post-game.
“I am thrilled about this win, but the journey is only halfway done,” Gukesh remarked, referring to his upcoming championship qualification.
Among the three Indian contenders in the eight-player Candidates tournament, Gukesh will now prepare to challenge Ding for the prestigious title later this year.
Despite becoming the youngest challenger for the world title, the modest world number 16 downplayed his achievement, stating, “I’m simply delighted about the win and not focused on setting records,” during a press conference.
The record for the youngest winner of a Candidates tournament still belongs to Garry Kasparov, who claimed victory at the age of 20 in 1984, preceding his world champion title triumph against Anatoly Karpov.
Gukesh: “It was heartwarming to witness the support and cheers from the audience. While I usually maintain focus during tournaments, the encouragement from spectators was truly uplifting. Their presence added to the excitement and motivation.”…
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