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.