India’s D Gukesh became the second-younger player to take part in the Candidates tournament, on Thursday, when he opened the competition in Toronto with a match against compatriot Vidit Gujarathi.
The 17-year-old Gukesh is only bettered by American chess legend Bobby Fischer, who took part in the the 1959 Candidates tournament when he was just 16.
In 2022 Gukesh became the talk of the chess world when he won eight straight games on the top board for India ‘B’ in the Chess Olympiad in Mahabalipuram. It was his performance that was instrumental in India winning the bronze medal.
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In the 2023 World Cup, in August, Gukesh overtook Anand in live ratings to become World No 9. He eventually stayed ahead till the next rating list was published on September 1, 2023 to become the first Indian in 37 years to figure ahead of Anand in FIDE’s published rating list.
The Chennai-born Gukesh soon grabbed a spot at the Candidates, by finishing second to Fabiano Caruana in the 2023 FIDE Circuit. Since Caruana had already qualified by being third in the World Cup, Gukesh took the spot meant for the FIDE Circuit winner.
“Gukesh has an aggressive tactical style and therefore has more decisive results. He has shown a lot of maturity in dealing with setbacks and goings-on,” wrote Anand in a column for the Sportstar.
- With inputs from Rakesh Rao
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