17-year-old chess player from Chennai, D. Gukesh, made history by becoming the youngest challenger in the World chess championship. He secured his spot by winning the qualifying event, the Candidates tournament, in Toronto. In the final round, he drew his match against Hikaru Nakamura, the second seed from the United States.
Gukesh had to wait for the result of the game between the top-seeded American Fabiano Caruana and Russian Ian Nepomniachtchi to determine the final standings. The result ended in a draw, making Gukesh the outright champion with nine points, ahead of Nakamura, Nepomniachtchi, and Caruana who each had 8.5 points.
With this victory, Gukesh joined an elite group of Indian chess players who have qualified for the World title match, following in Viswanathan Anand’s footsteps. He will face reigning champion Ding Liren of China in an upcoming championship. In the women’s tournament, Tan Zhongyi emerged victorious with nine points leading Koneru Humpy and R Vaishali tied for second place with Lei Tingjie of China each earning 7.5 points respectively.
The stage is set for an exciting World chess championship with Gukesh representing India in open category and Tan Zhongyi competing against Ju Wenjun in women’s championship.
Indian chess fans are proud to see Gukesh taking on some of the world’s best players and showcasing his skills on a global stage.
The final standings of this tournament highlight not only Gukesh’s talent but also that of all participants in both categories.
This is truly a moment to celebrate for Indian chess enthusiasts as they watch one of their own make history on such a grand scale.
