In Toronto, D Gukesh made history on Sunday, becoming the youngest champion in the Candidates Chess Tournament’s prestigious history by holding world No 3 Hikaru Nakamura to a draw. With nine points out of 14, the 17-year-old secured the right to challenge China’s Ding Liren for the title of ‘world chess champion’ later this year.
Gukesh’s victory was sealed when Fabiano Caruana and Ian Nepomniachtchi played out a draw in another closely-watched contest. He not only became the second Indian after Viswanathan Anand to win the tournament but also surpassed Garry Kasparov’s record for the youngest Candidates champion that had stood for 40 years.
Dommaraju Gukesh, born on 29 May, 2006, in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, hails from a chess-centric background. His early achievements include winning the Asian School Chess Championships at nine and the World Youth Chess Championships in the U-12 category. Gukesh’s rapid rise continued as he attained the status of International Master and nearly broke Sergey Karjakin’s record for the youngest chess Grandmaster of all time.
Recently, Gukesh made headlines by replacing Anand as the top-ranked Indian chess player, ending the latter’s 37-year reign. With aspirations to become the youngest world champion, Gukesh’s stellar performance suggests that this dream might soon turn into reality.
