India's chess prodigy, 17-year-old Grandmaster D Gukesh, made history by winning the Candidates Chess Tournament, becoming the youngest challenger for the World Championship title. In a monumental feat, he shattered a 40-year-old record previously held by Gary Kasparov.
In the crucial final round, Gukesh secured a draw against America's Hikaru Nakamura. With this result, he topped the tournament rankings with 9 points out of a possible 14.
Later this year, the young chess maestro from Chennai is set to challenge the current World Champion, China's Ding Liren. Gukesh caught international attention when he overcame Kasparov's record—the legendary Kasparov was 22 when he challenged Anatoly Karpov for the championship in 1984.
Born on May 29, 2006, in Chennai, Gukesh first entered the limelight after winning the Under-9 Asian School Chess Championship in 2015. His remarkable performances continued into 2018 when he clinched five gold medals at the Asian Youth Chess Championship. Gukesh was crowned a Grandmaster in January 2019, at the age of just 12 years, 7 months, and 17 days.
As the second-youngest Grandmaster in chess history, Gukesh also holds the distinction of being the youngest player to defeat Magnus Carlsen in the Mchess Rapid Tournament. In addition, he reached the quarterfinals of the Chess World Cup 2023.
Post-Victory Reflections from Gukesh
Relieved after his triumph, Gukesh shared, 'I feel an immense sense of relief. I was keeping an eye on the match between Fabiano Caruana and Ian Nepomniachtchi before going for a walk, which helped me calm my nerves.'
Gukesh was awarded a prize of €88,500 (approximately 78.5 lakh rupees), with the tournament's total prize fund being €500,000.
With this victory, Gukesh follows in the footsteps of Viswanathan Anand, becoming the second Indian to win this prestigious tournament—Anand secured the title in 2014.
Praise from Viswanathan Anand
Anand tweeted, 'Congratulations to D Gukesh for becoming the youngest-ever challenger. Proud of your accomplishment. I am personally very proud of you and the way you played under tough circumstances. Enjoy this moment.'
Gukesh, who only needed a draw to win, played cautiously against Nakamura. Meanwhile, the games involving Caruana and Nepomniachtchi also ended in draws. Had there been a winner among them, tiebreakers would have been required.
Caruana, Nepomniachtchi, and Nakamura all finished with 8.5 points and shared second place. Indian Grandmaster R. Praggnanandhaa finished fifth with seven points after defeating Azerbaijan's Nijat Abasov.
Having won the title of Grandmaster at just 12, Gukesh stands as the third youngest in the history of chess. He also secured a silver medal at the Hangzhou Asian Games.
