FIDE Candidates 2024: Gukesh makes history, becomes youngest-ever World Chess Championship contender

He also became the third Indian to qualify for the World Chess Championship finals.

In a remarkable achievement, 17-year-old Dommaraju Gukesh from Chennai has etched his name in chess history by winning the FIDE Candidates 2024 tournament. Gukesh’s Candidates win marks the first time an Indian has won the Candidates in nearly a decade, reigniting the country’s golden era in chess.

Gukesh finished the double round-robin event with an impressive 9 points, holding his own against World No. 3 Hikaru Nakamura in the final round to secure the victory. His rock-solid defense with the black pieces saw the game end in a draw, with only the kings remaining on the board.

However, it was Ian Nepomniachtchi and Fabiano Caruana who engaged 109-move marathon draw that sealed the teenager’s win. This result, coupled with Gukesh’s solid draw against Hikaru Nakamura, sealed the Indian prodigy’s victory in the event.

By emerging victorious in the eight-player field, Gukesh has become the youngest-ever winner of the Candidates tournament, surpassing chess legends Bobby Fischer and Magnus Carlsen. He is now the third Indian, after Viswanathan Anand and Koneru Humpy (in the Women’s World Championship), to qualify for the World Championship final match.

Throughout the tournament, the Indian teenager showed incredible mental tenacity, belying his tender age of 17. Gukesh Won five games and lost only one.Gukesh’s close to three weeks at Toronto just not only brought him the title but also propelled him to World No. 6 with a live rating of 2762.8.

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In the women’s event, Vaishali Rameshbabu and Humpy Koneru shared second place after a hard-fought battle. Vaishali overcame a shaky start, losing four consecutive games, before staging an impressive comeback with five straight wins.

The stage is now set for the World Championship 2024 final match, where Gukesh will face reigning World Champion Ding Liren in a clash of generations.

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