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Chess prodigy Gukesh D has just scripted another piece of history for the country, as he became the third Indian to qualify for the prestigious Candidates tournament. He will join R Praggnanandhaa and Vidit Gujrathi in Toronto next year.
Gukesh secured the berth after the conclusion of the World Rapid and Blitz Chess Championships in Samarkand this weekend. At the age of just 17, Gukesh has become one of the youngest male players ever to qualify for the event, after Bobby Fischer and Magnus Carlson.
For Gukesh, this victory comes on the back of a year that started out picture-perfect but quickly turned shaky. After a brilliant World Cup performance that ended in a quarter-final loss to Carlson, the Indian overtook compatriot Vishwanath Anand in the FIDE Rankings to become the highest-ranked Indian player.
However, things went downhill from there, and qualifying for the Candidates looked like an impossible feat. December turned out to be a highly positive month for Gukesh, as he finished third in the London Chess Classic. Later, he went on to win the Chennai Masters, which was highly important in his bid to qualify for the Candidates.
Gukesh’s spot at the coveted tournament is now sealed, and the youngster couldn't be happier.
“Qualifying for the Candidates was surely the most important goal for me this year. I was already thinking about it the previous year, and I really wanted to make it this year. Surely, it's a huge achievement for me, as it would be for any chess player. It's a dream tournament, and I'll try to give my best at the Candidates,” he told the Hindustan Times.
The tournament will be held in Toronto, Canada, from 2-25 April in 2024.
Gukesh D’s rise to the top
Gukesh D's first big achievement came at the age of just 12 when he became the second-youngest grandmaster in history in 2019.
The teenager has since followed that up with many impressive performances, including a memorable silver medal with the Indian team at the 2022 Asian Games. In October 2022, the prodigy became the youngest person to beat Magnus Carlson since becoming World Champion, when he got the better of the Norwegian legend at the Aimchess Rapid tournament.
In 2023, Gukesh became the youngest player in history to achieve a rating of 2750+, after he made it to the quarterfinals of the Chess World Cup. This also made him the highest-ranked Indian in the FIDE Rankings.
