Teenage Indian chess prodigy Gukesh Dommaraju, better known as Gukesh D, became the youngest player to win the men's Candidates Tournament in Toronto, Canada, on Sunday (21).
The 17-year-old Grandmaster's victory represents an opportunity to dethrone the current world champion, Ding Liren of China, in the 2024 World Chess Championship later this year.
If Gukesh beats Ding, who has been struggling with poor form recently, he will break Garry Kasparov's long-standing record of being the youngest world champion at 22.
Gukesh, ranked 16th in the world by the International Chess Federation (FIDE), sealed his title after a comfortable draw with world number 3 Hikaru Nakamura, the five-time US chess champion who is more than twice his age .
Gukesh is about to become the youngest player to compete for a world chess title.
“I was completely emotional, but after the game I'm feeling really good,” Gukesh said at a press conference after finishing top of the round robin tournament.
“I don't really care about being the youngest and all these records, but it's a cool thing to say,” he said.
Gukesh was mobbed by Indian fans outside his hotel as the South Asian nation celebrated yet another young chess talent.
“I'm very excited to be competing in the world championship and looking forward to all the preparations,” he said, adding that his journey is “only half over”.
The youngest previous winner of a Candidates tournament was Russian prodigy Kasparov, then 20, in 1984.
Kasparov, who has won several world championships, praised Gukesh and the pipeline of chess talent coming from Asia and Asian diaspora communities in countries such as the United States and the United Kingdom.
“The Indian earthquake in Toronto is the culmination of tectonic plate shifts in the chess world,” Kasparov wrote on social media platform X (formerly Twitter).
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi also praised Gukesh's “remarkable achievement” and “extraordinary talent and dedication” on social media.
Gukesh will face Chinese star Ding, 31, who became world champion in 2023. The title was previously held by five-time world champion Magnus Carlsen, who decided not to defend his title at the time.
Ding became the first Chinese player in history to become world champion. But the now world number 5 took a nine-month break from competition and has struggled to stay fit upon his return.
The date and venue of the 2024 World Chess Championship between Ding and Gukesh has not yet been revealed.
Chinese Tan Zhongyi won the women's Challenger category to qualify for a world title fight against her compatriot and current world champion Ju Wenjun – on a date also unknown.
India, for its part, has no shortage of young chess talent.
Joining Gukesh in the men's Candidates Tournament was Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa (R Praggnanandhaa), 18, who stunned the chess world by defeating Carlsen in 2022.
“Pragg,” as he is known by fans, became the youngest international chess master at age 10 and the second youngest Grandmaster in the world at age 12.
Last year, he and his sister, 22-year-old Rameshbabu Vaishali (R Vaishali), formed the first sibling pair to obtain Grandmaster titles.
Gukesh is the second Indian to play in a world championship, after legendary Indian player Viswanathan “Vishy” Anand.
Gukesh overtook Anand, a five-time world champion and the country's best player for almost 40 years, to become India's best player last September.
“Personally, I am very proud of how (Gukesh) played and handled difficult situations. Enjoy the moment,” Anand wrote in a post on X.
Source: CNN Brasil
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