17-year-old Gukesh Dommaraju: The Youngest Candidate to Win Men’s Chess Tournament

At the age of 17, Gukesh Dommaraju made history by becoming the youngest player to win the men’s Candidates chess tournament. His victory came after a nail-biting final day of the event, where he secured a draw against Hikaru Nakamura. The turning point came when American Fabiano Caruana made a critical mistake against Russia’s Ian Nepomniachtchi, allowing Gukesh to take the lead with Nakamura, Nepomniachtchi, and Caruana finishing behind him.

Gukesh ended the tournament with a score of 9/14, while Nakamura, Nepomniachtchi, and Caruana finished with 8.5/14. The previous youngest winner of a men’s Candidates tournament was Garry Kasparov, who achieved the feat at the age of 20 in 1984. Just a year later, Kasparov went on to win the world champion title against fellow Russian Anatoly Karpov. This marked a significant milestone in Gukesh’s young career, establishing him as a rising star in the world of chess.