India’s Gukesh Dommaraju became, at 17, the youngest ever Candidates winner and world championship challenger on Sunday night after 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 later this year. The world No1, 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 the USA’s world No 3 Hikaru Nakamura. The USA’s world No2, Fabiano Caruana, had the chance to force a tie and a speed play-off, but failed to convert his winning position against Russia’s Ian 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.
None of the experts predicted a Gukesh victory, and most, including Carlsen, forecast that he would finish in the bottom half of the eight-player field. Final leading scores were Gukesh (India) 9/14, Nakamura and Caruana (US) and Nepomniachtchi (Russia) all 8.5, Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu (India) 7.
China’s Tan Zhongyi won the women’s Candidates, and will now meet her compatriot Ju Wenjun for the world title. Leaders were Tan 9/14, Lei Tingjie (China), Koneru Humpy and Vaishali Rameshbabu (both India) all 7.5. Nakamura was officially placed second, which would be important if Ding does not defend his title.
Gukesh’s victory is a historic achievement. Only Bobby Fischer in 1959 and Carlsen in 2006, both then 16, have been younger Candidates, and both were also-rans. Ding Liren’s poor form since becoming champion means that Gukesh will be the favourite in the world title match, implying that another age record, Garry Kasparov’s as the youngest world champion at 22, is also in danger.
Gukesh’s career has been marked by consistent rapid advance since 2019, when he became a grandmaster at 12 years 7 months, the second youngest in history after Abhimanyu Mishra of the US. It was then that his family decided to support him as a professional player, despite the financial risks involved. Later, he was the youngest ever to achieve a 2750 rating, and he won the individual top board gold medal at the 2022 Olympiad. He qualified for the Candidates by finishing top of the Fide Circuit, a league table of major tournaments.
Away from the board, Gukesh likes to play outdoor sports, with tennis his favourite. He regularly practices yoga, which helps his stamina. He remarked that, despite his lack of experience, his youth was a strength for such a long tournament: “it’s easier to be focused at my age”.
Gukesh’s winning Candidates strategy is clear from the pattern of his results. He drew all six games with the heavyweight trio of Caruana, Nakamura, and Nepomniachtchi, playing actively while avoiding excessive risks. Then he won at least one game against each of the other four players — Praggnanandhaa, Vidit Gujrathi, Alireza Firouzja and Nijat Abasov.
Crucially, he won both as White and Black against the tail-ender Abasov, whereas Nepomniachtchi dropped half points in both games against the outclassed GM from Azerbaijan.
Gukesh’s only blip came against Firouzja, when he collapsed in time pressure and his despair was captured on video. His return game against the Iranian-born Frenchman was, in contrast, one of Gukesh’s best games in Toronto.
Puzzle 2569
Joseph Zeltsan v Ethan Sheehan, Chesterfield, USA, 2023. White to move and win.
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