17-year-old Gukesh Donmaraju will set up a world title showdown after winning the 2024 Candidates Tournament.
India's Gukesh Donmaraju became the youngest player to win the men's chess candidates tournament after drawing with Hikaru Nakamura on a heartbreaking final day of the double round robin event in Toronto.
The 17-year-old grandmaster effectively won Sunday's tournament after American Fabiano Caruana missed a chance to advance against Russia's Ian Nepomniatchi and was forced to a draw.
Gukesh finished with 9/14 in Kurokoma's draw, while Nakamura, Nepomniatchi and Caruana finished with 8.5/14.
Standings | After Round 14 | #FIDE Candidate
🇮🇳 Gukesh D is the winner of FIDE candidate with a score of 9/14. pic.twitter.com/BrB7szcpbd
— International Chess Federation (@FIDE_chess) April 22, 2024
With this victory, Gukesh set up a world chess title showdown with the reigning champion, China's Ding Liren.
The grandmaster, who is from Chennai in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu, called the final “crazy” and said he was “pretty emotional” after it was over.
“I feel pretty good, but I still have a long way to go,” Gukesh said after the match about qualifying for the championship.
Gukesh is one of three Indian players in the eight-a-side Candidates tournament and will face Ding for the title later this year.
The world No. 16 downplayed his accomplishments as the youngest challenger to a world title.
“I'm just happy that I won, and I don't really care about the record,'' he told reporters.
The youngest winner of the Candidates Tournament was Garry Kasparov, aged 20 when he won in 1984, a year before he clinched the title of world champion against fellow Russian Anatoly Karpov.
Gukesh: “It was really nice to see all the people here supporting me and rooting for chess. I usually don't try to interact with the outside world too much during tournaments, but Certainly, it was great to see them every time they cheered during and after the game. pic.twitter.com/C7s6JIIyto
— International Chess Federation (@FIDE_chess) April 22, 2024
Gukesh received widespread support from the Indian diaspora, many of whom gathered at the convention venue.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated Gukesh on his victory.
“Mr. Gukesh's remarkable performance in the Toronto candidate election is a testament to his extraordinary talent and dedication,” PM Modi wrote in a post on X.
India is very proud of @DGukesh On becoming the youngest player in history to win the championship #FIDE Candidate!
Gukesh's impressive accomplishments in the Toronto Candidates demonstrate his extraordinary talent and dedication.
His outstanding performance and path to the top… pic.twitter.com/pfNhhRj7W2
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) April 22, 2024
Five-time classical chess world champion and world number one Magnus Carlsen vacated his title last year, citing a lack of motivation.
Tan Zhongyi won the women's tournament and will face fellow Chinese player Zhu Wenjun for the world title.