D Gukesh Makes History: India’s Triumph at Candidates Tournament in Toronto

The youngest competitor to win the world championship in history is D. Gukesh, a 17-year-old Indian chess prodigy! At the Candidates Chess Tournament, he defeated the record set by the legendary Garry Kasparov, who was forty years old. With an outstanding 9 points out of a possible 14, Gukesh cemented his place against China’s defending champion, Ding Liren; their high-stakes showdown is anticipated later this year. Kasparov, who qualified in 1984 at the age of 22, is far behind the Chennai native’s accomplishment.

In addition to being the youngest candidate in election history, Gukesh is also the first candidate who is still a teenager. Prior to the Toronto event, Gukesh was not considered the favorite; instead, Hikaru Nakamura and Fabiano Caruana were. Nevertheless, the 17-year-old overcame the odds to triumph and become the first Indian to win the title since 2014. We examine a comprehensive analysis of this momentous victory as Gukesh and the people of India rejoice.

Here is a breakdown of the FIDE candidates:

Rounds 1 and 2

Every match in round one ended in a draw, and only action took place in round two of the competition. R. Praggnanandhaa lost to Gukesh, but Vidit Gujrathi of India shocked everyone by defeating Nakamura. In positional dominance, Caruana was at his best, defeating Nijat Abasov; in a close match, Ian Nepomniachtchi prevailed over Alireza Firouzja.

Rounds 3 and 4

In the third round, Abasov and Nakamura drew, while Gukesh and Nepomniachtchi also drew. In the meantime, Vidit was taken aback by Praggnanandhaa’s Ruy Lopez Jaenisch Gambit Deferred. In round three, he secured the lone victory over Vidit. There was just one match that mattered in round four, with Nepomniachtchi defeating Vidit to take the lead.

Rounds 5, 6, and 7

Praggnanandhaa and Vidit drew in round five, with Nepomniachtchi and Caruana, respectively. The Indian took the lead alongside Nepomniachtchi when Abasov and Firouzja lost to Gukesh and Nakamura, respectively. The next round ended in another loss for Abasov and Firouzja. Nepomniachtchi led the tournament at the halfway point after Firouzja defeated Gukesh in round seven. Other matches resulted in draws.

Rounds 8 and 9

Eighth-round chess witnessed some exciting play as Gukesh overcame Vidit and Abasov held Nepomniachtchi to a draw. Gukesh moved up to second place, along with Nepomniachtchi, and Nakamura moved up to third place, alongside Praggnanandhaa. Nine matches ended in draws, with the exception of Vidit’s triumph over Nakamura, who recovered to win in the following round against Abasov, and Caruana’s victory over Firouzja.

Rounds 10 and 11

During Round 10, Gukesh and Nepomniachtchi engaged in a top-of-the-table match that resulted in a tie, but they continued to share the lead. Caruana was half a point behind, followed by Nakamura and Praggnanandhaa. Vidit lost to Nepomniachtchi in round 11, while Nakamura defeated Praggnanandhaa. Gukesh drew to Caruana, and Nepomniachtchi once again took the top spot.

Rounds 12 and 13

In round twelve, Nepomniachtchi drew his match, and Nakamura won three straight games. Gukesh and Caruana, meanwhile, won. Nepomniachtchi, Nakamura, and Gukesh shared first place in the twelfth round. Thirteenth round: Caruana beat Praggnanandhaa, while Gukesh beat Firouzja. Before the last round, Gukesh had a half-point advantage over Nepomniachtchi and Nakamura, as well as Caruana, due to their draw.

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Round 14

Nakamura went white against Gukesh in the final round, while Caruana went white against Nepomniachtchi. Nakamura, Caruana, and Nepomniachtchi would all need to win to go to tiebreakers if Gukesh were to draw his match. After 71 moves, Gukesh was down to just Kings on the board and had drawn his game. In the meantime, a spectacular match between Nepomniachtchi and Caruana ended with a draw on move 109, meaning Gukesh emerged victorious and will challenge for the title later in the year.