Indian Teen D Gukesh Becomes Youngest Challenger In World Chess Championship, Second After Viswanathan Anand

D Gukesh, a 17-year-old chess prodigy from Chennai, has made history by becoming the youngest challenger in the World Chess Championship, as per a report by The Hindu.

He secured this position by winning the Candidates tournament in Toronto, Canada.

In the final round, Gukesh drew with second-seeded Hikaru Nakamura of the United States to clinch the title.

Gukesh's victory was sealed after the game between top-seeded American Fabiano Caruana and Russian Ian Nepomniachtchi, the winner of the last two editions of the tournament, also ended in a draw.

This result puts Gukesh at the top of the table with nine points, ahead of Nakamura, Nepomniachtchi and Caruana, who all finished with 8.5 points each.

Gukesh is now only the second Indian, after Viswanathan Anand, to qualify for the World Chess Championship match. He is set to face the reigning champion Ding Liren of China.

In the women's tournament, China's Tan Zhongyi emerged victorious with nine points, 1.5 points ahead of the competition. Indian players Koneru Humpy and R Vaishali tied for second place with 7.5 points each, along with Lei Tingjie of China.

Tan will now face her compatriot Ju Wenjun for the women's World Championship title.

The final standings for the tournaments are as follows:

Men's Tournament:

1. D Gukesh — 9 points

2-4. Hikaru Nakamura (USA), Ian Nepomniachtchi (FIDE), and Fabiano Caruana (USA) — 8.5 points

5. R. Praggnanandhaa — 7 points

6. Vidit Gujrathi — 6 points

7. Alireza Firouzja (France) — 5 points

8. Nijat Abasov (Azerbaijan) — 3.5 points

Women's Tournament:

1. Tan Zhongyi (China) — 9 points

2-4. Koneru Humpy, Lei Tingjie (China), and R Vaishali — 7.5 points

5. Aleksandra Goryachkina — 7 points

6. Kateryna Lagno (FIDE) — 6.5 points

7-8. Nurgyul Salimova (Bulgaria) and Anna Muzychuk — 5.5 points.