Indian teenager Gukesh Dommaraju becomes youngest challenger for world chess title

Gukesh Dommaraju became the youngest player to win the Candidates chess tournament after a draw against Hikaru Nakamura on a nailbiting final day of the event in Toronto on Sunday.

The 17-year-old grandmaster effectively wrapped up victory in the tournament after American Fabiano Caruana blundered a winning position against Russia’s Ian Nepomniachtchi to be held to a draw.

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Gukesh’s draw with the black pieces put him on 9/14 with Nakamura, Nepomniachtchi and Caruana finishing on 8.5/14.

The previous youngest winner of the Candidates tournament was Garry Kasparov, who was 20 when he prevailed in 1984, a year before sealing the world champion title against fellow Russian Anatoly Karpov.

Gukesh, who was one of three Indian players in the eight-man Candidates tournament, will face China’s Ding Liren for the title later this year. World No 1 Magnus Carlsen, a five-time classical chess world champion, relinquished his title last year, citing a lack of motivation. The world championship will take place later this year although exact dates and a venue have yet to be set.

Gukesh became a grandmaster at the age of 12, the third’s youngest person to have done so. If he beats Ding this year, he will become India’s second world chess champion. Viswanathan Anand won the title five times and tweeted his congratulations to Gukesh on Sunday.

“Congratulations to @DGukesh for becoming the youngest challenger. The @WacaChess family is so proud of what you have done. I’m personally very proud of how you played and handled tough situations. Enjoy the moment,” the former champion wrote on X.

China’s Tan Zhongyi dominated the separate women’s tournament and will face her compatriot Ju Wenjun for the world title.

• This article was amended on 25 April 2024. An earlier version referred to the Candidates tournament won by Gukesh Dommaraju as the “men’s tournament”; this tournament is in fact open to all entrants, but there is a separate women-only tournament.