D Gukesh, the 17-year-old Indian Grandmaster, has made history by winning the FIDE Candidates Chess Tournament 2024. This victory has not only made him the youngest-ever challenger to the world title but also earned him high praise from the legendary Grandmaster Garry Kasparov.
Gukesh’s achievement is monumental. He has broken Kasparov’s 40-year record to become the youngest winner of the Candidates Chess tournament. Kasparov himself was 20 years and 11 months old when he won the tournament in 1983/84.
In the final round of the tournament, Gukesh held his championship contender, Hikaru Nakamura, to a draw, securing his victory. His performance throughout the tournament was commendable, finishing with nine points out of a possible 14. His nearest competitors, Nakamura, Ian Nepomniachtchi, and Fabiano Caruana, all finished 0.5 points adrift.
Kasparov hails Gukesh and Anand
Kasparov, who held the No.1 ranking from 1984 until he retired from competitive chess in 2005, took to his official X account to congratulate Gukesh. He referred to Gukesh’s victory as an “Indian earthquake in Toronto” and a sign of shift in power dynamics in world chess. He wrote, “Congratulations! The Indian earthquake in Toronto is the culmination of the shifting tectonic plates in the chess world as the 17-year-old Gukesh D will face the Chinese champion Ding Liren for the highest title”.
Kasparov also credited Viswanathan Anand, the only other Indian to win the Candidates Chess tournament, for Gukesh’s success. He said, “The ‘children’ of Vishy Anand are on the loose!”. This statement highlights the impact of Anand’s mentorship on the new generation of Indian chess players. Gukesh will now face China’s Ding Liren in the World Championship final.
Congratulations! The Indian earthquake in Toronto is the culmination of the shifting tectonic plates in the chess world as the 17 year old Gukesh D will face the Chinese champion Ding Liren for the highest title. The "children" of Vishy Anand are on the loose! https://t.co/Lm52orDYs8
— Garry Kasparov (@Kasparov63) April 22, 2024
However, the former World Champion Magnus Carlsen, before the start of the Candidates tournament was not confident of Gukesh being the favourite to win the coveted title. Carlsen even went on to say that the Indian Grand Master would suffer some bad losses.
“I cannot imagine him winning the Candidates. I think he will certainly win at least a couple of games but will have some fairly bad losses as well. I don’t think he will do poorly, but I don’t think he will do too well either. He’s not quite ready yet to make the leap. It’s more likely that he has a bad event,” Carlsen said.
To Carlsen’s surprise, Gukesh etches in the record books by stunning a few favourites and sealing the deal with rather a calm attitude.
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