As the youngest winner of the Candidates Chess Tournament, seventeen-year-old Indian chess prodigy D Gukesh made history and gained the chance to take on the current world champion Ding Liren later in the year. After an incredible trip that saw him secure nine out of fourteen points, Gukesh played against American Grandmaster
Hikaru Nakamura in a draw in the final round. With this feat, he joins the prestigious ranks of Viswanathan Anand, the first Indian to win this competition back in 2014, on his route to winning five world championship titles.
Anand expressed his admiration for Gukesh’s performance on social media, praising him particularly for tackling challenging circumstances effectively.
The result of the last match between Ian Nepomniachtchi of Russia and Fabiano Caruana, the top-seeded American, would determine Gukesh’s triumph. Gukesh’s victory in this match was assured by a draw, saving him from a tie-breaker situation. At the age of 12, Gukesh became the third-youngest Grandmaster in history, continuing his early ascension in the chess world. Among his other achievements is a silver medal from the previous year’s Asian Games in Hangzhou.
As anticipation builds for the forthcoming World Chess Championship, details regarding dates and venues remain pending, adding to the excitement surrounding Gukesh’s upcoming challenge against Ding Liren.
