Indian Grandmaster D Gukesh clinched the FIDE Candidates 2024 Open title to come to be the youngest winner of the prestigious tournament just after an exciting finish in the 14th and remaining round at the Wonderful Hall of Toronto on Monday morning.
The 17-calendar year-previous from Chennai held fellow title contender Hikaru Nakamura of the United states of america to a attract with black parts in the 14th spherical to clinch the title. Gukesh edged previous Nakamura by .5 factors as he accumulated 9 factors, whilst the American grandmasters managed to assemble 8.5.
Gukesh also grew to become the very first Indian because Viswanathan Anand in 2014 to win the Candidates.
He skilled for the Candidates in December 2023 at the FIDE World Blitz match at Samarkand in Uzbekistan soon after Anish Giri unsuccessful to leading the standings.
Gukesh was the third youngest participant to qualify for the Candidates in event background just after Bobby Fischer and Magnus Carlsen.
By winning the Candidates title soon after 14 gruelling rounds, Gukesh has also skilled for the Entire world Championships closing in the classical structure.
The Indian grandmaster is now established to obstacle world champion Ding Liren of China as he grew to become the 1st teenager to access the Worlds closing where by gamers have $2 million as prize cash to gain.
Prior to the match, he was not even deemed among the favourites to earn the title. But Gukesh held his composure through the event to stay in the hunt for the title. He won 5 matches and dropped one particular against France’s Alireza Firouzja on the way to a historic title acquire.
R Praggnanandhaa and Vidit Gujrathi finished fifth and sixth respectively with 7 and six points.
In the meantime, in the women’s Candidates, Koneru Humpy finished 2nd to Tan Zhongyi of China, who received the title pretty comfortably with 9 factors. The Indian grandmaster managed to accumulate 7.5 details soon after the close of the 14th round.
R Vaishali, on the other hand, produced a late surge in the standings as she gained 5 matches in a row to finish joint 2nd alongside with Humpy and Lei Tingjie.