2024-04-25 09:51:15
New Delhi/Toronto: The venue and date are not decided, but it is certain that India’s Grandmaster D Gukesh has come close to becoming the youngest world champion of chess. Gukesh has created history by winning the title of World Candidates Chess Tournament and now if he becomes world champion then it will also be a new record. When Garry Kasparov of Russia became the world champion of chess in 1985, he was 22 years, six months and 27 days old. His record of becoming the youngest chess world champion still stands. If Ding and Gukesh meet at any time this year, if the Indian Grandmaster wins, he is sure to become the youngest emperor of the chess world.
introduction of gukesh
- Full Name: Dommaraju Gukesh
- Birthday: May 29, 2006
- Home Town: Chennai
- Became Grandmaster: in the year 2019
- FIDE Rankings/Ratings: 16/2743
- Best Rankings/Ratings: 8/2758
the matter was settled by draw
Gukesh played a draw with Hikaru Nakamura of America in the 14th and last round of the Candidates Tournament. Gukesh needed only a draw to win and he did not hesitate against Nakamura. Both matches ended in a draw after 71 moves. On the other hand, the match between Fabiano Caruana and Ian Nepomniachtchi also ended in a draw. If either of them had won, there would have been a tiebreak. Gukesh had nine points out of 14 in this tournament which determines the challenger of the world champion. With this victory, Gukesh also broke a record of Kasparov. Kasparov was 22 years old in 1984 when he challenged Russia’s Anatoly Karpov for the World Championship title. Gukesh also became the second Indian after Vishwanathan Anand to win this prestigious tournament.
Congratulations to D Gukesh on becoming the youngest challenger. Proud of your achievement. Personally, I am very proud of you for the way you played in difficult circumstances. Enjoy this moment.
Vishwanathan Anand, former world champion
Career Milestones
- Became Under-9 Asian School Chess Champion in 2015
- Won Under-12 title in World Youth Chess Championships in 2018
- In 2019, he became the second youngest Grandmaster at the age of 12 years, 7 months, 17 days.
- Scored 8/8 in Chess Olympiad in 2022 and won gold on first board.
- Becomes the youngest player to defeat World Champion Magnus Carlsen in 2022
- Becomes the youngest player in history to reach 2750 FIDE rating in 2023
- Becomes the third youngest to qualify for the 2023 Candidates Chess Tournament
- Becomes the youngest player in history to win the 2024 Candidates Chess Tournament
stressful 15 minutes
After Gukesh’s match, games were going on on the other board. Gukesh said, ‘Those 15 minutes were the most stressful of the entire tournament. I was listening to the commentary and then I went for a walk with my trainer. After that my father came running and I got the information. Caruana, Nepomniachtchi and Nakamura all scored 8.5-8.5 points and stood joint second. Indian Grandmaster R Praggnananda finished fifth with seven points after defeating Nijat Abbasov of Azerbaijan. Vidit Gujarati played a draw with Firozha Alireza of France and finished sixth. Aliraja finished seventh and Abbasov finished eighth.
Hampi got second place
Indian Grandmaster Koneru Humpy defeated joint-topper Ti Lei of China to finish second in the Women’s Candidates Tournament on the basis of better performance in the tiebreaker. China’s Zhongyi Tan came out on top, playing a draw with Ukraine’s Anna Muzychuk. India’s R Vaishali was joint second after registering her fifth consecutive win, but was placed fourth after the tiebreaker. She defeated Katarina Lagano of Russia.
Gukesh’s brilliant achievement in the tournament held in Toronto is indicative of his extraordinary talent and dedication. His extraordinary performance and journey to the top will inspire millions.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi
Energy gained from defeat!
For most players, victory is the biggest motivation, Gukesh is not one of them. He says that after losing to Firozha Alireza in the seventh round, he was inspired to become the youngest Candidates Chess Champion. Gukesh told PTI, ‘I was feeling good from the beginning, but I was disappointed after losing to Alireza in the seventh round. The next day was a day of rest and I was feeling great. Such defeats give me energy and inspiration. After the defeat, I felt that if I played well and played with the right mentality, I could win. I played well throughout the tournament and I was lucky that the results were in my favor. Gukesh said, ‘I was preparing for the tiebreaker. I was talking to my trainer, but as soon as we started the conversation, we realized that it was no longer needed.
Gukesh is such a player who has defeated many great players of the world at a very young age. Magnus Carlsen, the highest rated and multiple-time world champion in chess history, has also been defeated by Gukesh. When current world champion Ding Liren faces off against Gukesh, there will be more pressure on him. Gukesh, on the other hand, will have nothing to lose. He will get advice and support from many former veterans of India. One of these could also be Grandmaster Vishwanathan Anand. Anand himself is a five-time world champion and his experience can be useful to Gukesh.
NBT lens: Will land with advantage
This is how challengers became
The organization that governs chess is FIDE. According to the rules set by it, eight players play the Candidates Tournament. The winner of the Candidates Tournament qualifies to challenge the reigning world champion of chess. That’s why it is called Challenger. Of the eight players among the candidates, one was the runner-up of the previous World Championship (Ian Nepomniachtchi). Players who secured first three positions in last year’s World Cup also qualify. Magnus Carlsen was the winner of the World Cup 2023, but withdrew his name. Runner-up R Praggnananda, Fabiano Caruana, who finished third, and Nijat Abbasov, who finished fourth, got entry in place of Carlsen. Apart from FIDE Grand Swiss Tournament winner Vidit Gujarati, runner-up Hikaru Nakamura also qualified. According to the rules, the player leading in the FIDE circuit in 2023 was also to get entry. D Gukesh qualified for this place. The eighth position went to the highest rated Firoza Alireza in January 2024. Among these eight players, Gukesh became the winner by scoring 9 points in 14 rounds and gained the eligibility of Challenger.