Gukesh is youngest ever challenger for world crown

Gukesh Dommaraju became, at 17, the youngest ever Candidates winner and world championship challenger on Sunday after edging out the favourites Fabiano Caruana, Hikaru Nakamura and Ian Nepomniachtchi in a marathon six-hour final round in Toronto.

Gukesh will now meet the holder, China’s Ding Liren, in a 14-game series for the world crown from 20 November to 15 December. The world No 1, Norway’s Magnus Carlsen, abdicated his title in 2023 after a 10-year reign.

The Chennai teenager started the 14th and final round half a point ahead of his three rivals, and had the better of a draw with Nakamura, the USA’S world No 3. Caruana, the USA’S world No 2, had the chance to force a tie and a speed playoff, but failed to convert his winning position against Russia’s Nepomniachtchi. Their game lasted 109 moves and six hours before Caruana abandoned his attempts to make progress in what was by then a dead drawn ending.

Final leading scores were Gukesh 9/14, Caruana, Nakamura and Nepomniachtchi all 8.5, Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu (India) 7.

Gukesh’s victory is a historic achievement. Until now, teenagers have had an indifferent record in the Candidates. Only Bobby Fischer in 1959 and Carlsen in 2006, both then 16, have been younger than Gukesh, and both were also-rans.

Garry Kasparov, who was the previous youngest Candidates winner at 20, called the result “an Indian earthquake in Toronto” and added “the children of Vishy Anand are on the loose” in a reference to India’s previous world champion, who mentored Gukesh and is his chess hero.

Gukesh’s only loss at Toronto was to Alireza Firouzja in round six, when he collapsed in time pressure and his despair was captured on video. Yet from that moment his self-belief in winning the tournament grew: “I was upset, but during the rest day I felt so good that the loss gave me motivation.”