Gukesh D draws with Nakamura to clinch a shot at the World chess title

India’s 17-year-old Gukesh D clinched the Candidates Tournament in Toronto, Canada after his final clash with American grandmaster Hikaru Nakamura ended in a draw. 

With this win, Gukesh set up the World Chess Championship clash against Ding Liren later this year. At 17, he is the  youngest World Championship challenger. 

Hailing from Chennai, the chess prodigy now becomes only the second Indian after the legendary five-time World Champion Vishwanathan Anand to conquer the Candidates Tournament. 

Anand took to social media to congratulate Gukesh on his accomplishment and asked him to enjoy his moment. 

“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,” wrote Anand. 

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

— Viswanathan Anand (@vishy64theking) April 22, 2024

Gukesh entered the tournament as the third-youngest participant ever (following chess legends Bobby Fischer and Magnus Carlsen). Past chess giant, the Russian Garry Kasparov was the previous title holder for the youngest Candidates winner, winning the tournament at age 22. 

Gukesh secured an impressive score of nine points out of the possible fourteen, securing his victory with a draw in his final match against Nakamura. 

However, the final outcome hinged on the match between Russian Ian Nepomniachtchi and American Fabiano Caruana. The match was the longest out of all the matches in the Candidates tournament this year, going on for 109 moves. 

An anxious Gukesh watched on as a win from either of these players would have resulted in a tie-break and the winner would have secured a joint lead with the Indian Grandmaster. 

The match ended with a draw and secured young Gukesh’s victory, ending Caruana’s and Nepomniachtchi’s hopes for a shot at the World title.