On Sunday, Chennai teenager D Gukesh made history by becoming the youngest-ever winner of the Candidates tournament in Toronto.
He became the youngest challenger at 17 years in World Championship history, and the second Indian to win the Candidates tournament following Viswanathan Anand.
Despite not being the favourite before the tournament, his victory surprised everyone. Initially, Fabiano Caruana and Hikaru Nakamura were the ones expected to excel. However, the young player demonstrated immense determination and resilience, ultimately securing the top spot in the standings.
The teen prodigy was born in Chennai, Tamil Nadu on May 29, 2006. He comes from a Telugu-speaking family, originating from the Godavari delta region of Andhra Pradesh. His father, Dr. Rajnikanth, is an ear, nose, and throat surgeon, while his mother, Padma, is a microbiologist. Presently, he is enrolled at Velammal Vidyalaya School in Chennai and allegedly started playing chess at the age of seven.
Gukesh gained widespread recognition after emerging victorious in the U-9 division of the Asian School Chess Championships in 2021. He further showcased his talent by triumphing in the U-12 category at the World Youth Chess Championships in 2018. Additionally, he achieved remarkable success at the 2018 Asian Youth Chess Championships, clinching five gold medals. In March 2018, Gukesh fulfilled the necessary criteria to be titled an International Master during the 34th Cappelle-la-Grande Open.
On January 15, 2019, at the age of 12 years, seven months, and 17 days, he achieved the title of the second-youngest Grandmaster in history. He came close to surpassing Sergey Karjakin’s record but fell short by just 17 days. However, his record was later surpassed by Abhimanyu Mishra from the USA, making him the third-youngest Grandmaster.
By August 2023, he had achieved a remarkable feat by becoming the youngest player ever to attain a rating of 2750. During the Chess World Cup 2023, he showcased his skills by reaching the quarter-finals, although he unfortunately lost to Carlsen in that stage. In September 2023, he surpassed Viswanathan Anand to become the highest-ranked Indian Grandmaster, marking the end of Anand’s 37-year reign as the top-ranked Indian player.
