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India’s 17 year old chess grandmaster Gurkesh D won FIDE Candidates 2024 in Canada by accumulating 9 points in 14 rounds. He created history by becoming the youngest chess player to win FIDE candidates. Gurkesh is the second Indian after 5-time world champion Vishwanathan Anand to win the competition. With this win, he becomes the youngest ever World chess championship contender.
Gukesh was born on 29 May 2006 in Chennai, Tamil Nadu into a Telugu-speaking family hailing from the Godavari delta of Andhra Pradesh. His father, Dr. Rajnikanth, is an ENT surgeon, and his mother, Padma, is a microbiologist. He learned to play chess at the age of seven. He studies at the Velammal Vidyalaya school, Mel Ayanambakkam, Chennai.
The FIDE Candidates Tournament is an eight-player chess tournament, held to determine the challenger for the World Chess Championship 2024. The tournament took place at The Great Hall in Toronto, Canada, from April 3–22, 2024.
Gurkesh created history heading towards the World Chess Championship clash against Ding Liren after his game with Hikaru Nakamura ended in a draw.
Gukesh needed to win this game or if he was held to a draw by Nakamura, he needed to see the game between Ian Nepomniachtchi and Fabiano Caruana end in a draw. In the other games of the day, Praggnanandhaa defeated Nijat Abasov while Vidit Gujrathi agreed to a draw against Alireza after barely five minutes at the board.
