D Gukesh: Youngest Winner of Candidates Chess Tournament
At just 17 years old, India’s Grandmaster D. Gukesh made history by winning the Candidates Chess Tournament in Toronto. He has become the youngest player ever to contend for the World Championship title. Gukesh follows in the footsteps of the Russian player Garry Kasparov, who won this tournament at the age of 22 in 1984.
Gukesh will now compete against China’s Ding Liren for the World Champion title. The details of when and where this match will take place have not been announced yet.
In the tournament, Gukesh scored 9 points out of 14 rounds, securing the title. In his final match, he drew against the American Hikaru Nakamura. This resulted in his points increasing from 8.5 to 9. Additionally, he managed to increase his points to 8.5 by defeating France’s Firouzja Alireza. With Alireza’s loss, Gukesh took a half-point lead over Nepomniachtchi, Nakamura, and Caruana from the United States.
Gukesh is the second Indian to win this tournament. The first was Viswanathan Anand in 2014, when he was 45 years old.
After his victory, Gukesh said, “I am very happy. I was excited to watch the games between Fabiano Caruana and Ian Nepomniachtchi, then I went to my teammate (Grigoriy Oparin), and I feel that helped me.”
In the Asian Games held in Hangzhou, China, Gukesh won the silver medal. In 2015, he became a Candidate Master after winning the Under-9 title at the Asian Schools Chess Championship. Gukesh has also won 5 gold medals in the Asian Youth Chess Championship. In 2019, he became India’s youngest and the world’s second-youngest Grandmaster.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated Gukesh for his achievement. A post on the Prime Minister’s official handle praised Gukesh’s victory in the Candidates Chess Tournament in Toronto, highlighting his talent and dedication. His performance inspires millions of people.
Vishwanathan Anand congratulated Gukesh for winning the tournament. Gukesh received a prize of €88,500 (approximately ₹78.5 lakh) for his victory. The total prize fund for participants was €500,000. In a post on X, Vishwanathan Anand congratulated the young player, saying, “Congratulations to D. Gukesh for becoming the youngest challenger. You have achieved something to be very proud of. I am personally very proud of what you have accomplished. Enjoy this moment.”
D. Gukesh’s full name is D. Gukesh Dommaraju, and he is a resident of Chennai. He was born on May 7, 2006, in Chennai. Gukesh began playing chess at the age of 7. He initially received coaching from Bhaskar Nagaiya, who is an international-level chess player himself and runs a chess academy in Chennai. Later, Vishwanathan Anand also provided coaching to Gukesh, sharing his insights and expertise in the game. Gukesh’s father is a doctor, and his mother is a microbiologist by profession.
