Grandmaster D Gukesh, 17, made history when he became the youngest person to win the coveted Fide Candidates tournament and secure his spot to compete for the World Championships title later this year. After a thrilling 14-round Candidates tournament in Toronto, Canada, the teenage Indian emerged as the lone leader.
Later in the year, Gukesh will compete against the current world champion, Ding Liren, for the world championship.
On Sunday, Grandmaster Hikaru Nakamura of the USA and D Gukesh drew their final-round match. In order to win the Candidates title on the last day, Gukesh needed precisely that, as Grandmasters Fabiano Caruana and Ian Nepomniachtchi’s match ended in an exciting draw.
The crowd at Toronto’s Great Hall was abuzz, applauding the incredible achievement of the newest world title challenger when the Candidates’ final match ended.
Later this year, Gukesh will take on Ding Liren in an attempt to become the youngest world champion ever. When Magnus Carlsen and Garry Kasparov emerged as world champions, they were both 22 years old.
Gukesh became only the second Indian to qualify for the World Championship title after Vishwanathan Anand.
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Here’s how the chess fraternity reacted to Gukesh’s victory.
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