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Teenage Indian chess prodigy Gukesh Dommaraju, better known as Gukesh D, became the youngest player to claim the men’s Candidates Tournament in Toronto, Canada.

About

• Gukesh is ranked 16th in the world by the International Chess Federation (FIDE).
• Gukesh is set to become the youngest player ever to challenge for a world chess title.
• The previous youngest winner of a Candidates tournament was Russian prodigy Kasparov, then 20, in 1984.
• Joining Gukesh in the men’s Candidates tournament was Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa (R Praggnanandhaa), 18,who famously stunned the chess world by beating Carlsen in 2022.
  • “Pragg”, as he is known to fans, became the youngest international chess master at the age of 10 and the second-youngest grandmaster in the world at 12.
  • Last year, he and his sister, 22-year-old Rameshbabu Vaishali (R Vaishali), became the first-ever brother and sister duo to obtain grandmaster titles.
• Gukesh is the second Indian to play in a world championship after legendary Indian player Viswanathan “Vishy” Anand.