Dommaraju Gukesh waits at the table for his opponent before the start of Round 12 at the 2024 Candidates Tournament.Melissa Tait/The Globe and Mail
Gukesh Dommaraju became the youngest player to win the men’s Candidates chess tournament after a draw against Hikaru Nakamura on a nail-biting final day of the double round robin event in Toronto on Sunday.
The 17-year-old grandmaster effectively wrapped up victory in the tournament after American Fabiano Caruana blundered a winning position against Russian Ian Nepomniachtchi to be held to a draw.
Gukesh’s draw with the black pieces put him on 9/14 with Nakamura, Nepomniachtchi and Caruana finishing on 8.5/14.
The youngest winner of a Candidates tournament was Garry Kasparov, who was 20 when he prevailed in 1984, a year before sealing the world champion title against fellow Russian Anatoly Karpov.
Gukesh, who was one of three Indian players in the eight-man Candidates tournament, will face China’s Ding Liren for the title later this year.
World number one Magnus Carlsen, a five-time classical chess world champion, relinquished his title last year, citing alack of motivation.
Tan Zhongyi dominated the women’s tournament and will face fellow Chinese Ju Wenjun for the world title.