Indian Grandmaster Gukesh Dommaraju Poised to Make History as Youngest World Chess Championship Contender

Indian grandmaster Gukesh Dommaraju is on the brink of making history as the youngest player to compete for the world chess championship. Ending the penultimate round of the ongoing Candidates tournament in Toronto as the sole leader, Gukesh has captured the attention of the chess world with his impressive performance.

The breakthrough moment came on Saturday evening as Gukesh outplayed his French opponent Alireza Firouzja in the Open section of the 2024 Candidates Tournament, organized by the International Chess Federation (FIDE). The winner of this tournament will go on to challenge the current world champion, Ding Liren of China, later this year.

Speaking about his final game during a post-game press conference, Gukesh remained focused on the task at hand, stating, “I’ll just play a good game tomorrow and see what happens.” Despite the potential for a tie-breaking game on Monday, Gukesh emphasized his immediate focus on the upcoming match, saying, “It’s too early to think about it. I’m focused only on tomorrow’s game.”

At just 17 years old, Gukesh will enter play on Sunday with 8.5 points after 13 rounds, holding a slim lead over his American challengers Fabiano Caruana and Hikaru Nakamura, as well as Russian Ian Nepomniachtchi. While his lack of experience has been noted as a potential factor, Gukesh believes his youth has helped him maintain concentration throughout the grueling tournament.

In the Women’s category, India’s challenge has faded with Vaishali Rameshbabu and Koneru Humpy out of contention. However, Vaishali has shown a winning streak in the latter days of the tournament, securing four victories in a row.

The tournament, being held for the first time in Canada, is set to reach a tense conclusion as Gukesh faces off against Nakamura, with Nepomniachtchi taking on Caruana. With the opportunity to clinch the championship with a win, all eyes will be on Gukesh as he aims to make history in the world of chess.