Russian chess Grandmaster and multiple-time world champion Garry Kasparov lauded Indian Grandmaster D Gukesh’s historic win at the Candidates Chess Tournament on Monday. Gukesh, at 17, has become the youngest-ever challenger to the world title, breaking Kasparov’s record that stood for 40 years.
Gukesh secured an easy draw with American Hikaru Nakamura in the tournament’s final round, accumulating nine points out of a possible 14. Kasparov described Gukesh’s achievement as an “Indian earthquake in Toronto,” signaling a shift in the power dynamics of world chess.
Kasparov also acknowledged the role of former world no.1 Viswanathan Anand in Gukesh’s success. He exclaimed, “The ‘children’ of Vishy Anand are on the loose!” Gukesh, a Chennai-based teenager, surpassed Kasparov’s record by a significant margin. Kasparov qualified for the world title clash with Anatoly Karpov in 1984 at the age of 22.
Expressing his happiness, Gukesh said, “So relieved and so happy. I was following this crazy game (between Fabio Caruana and Ian Nepomniachtchi), and then I went for a walk with my second (Gregorz Gazevsky), I think that helped.” Gukesh is the second Indian, after Viswanathan Anand, to win the prestigious tournament. Anand triumphed in 2014.
Anand congratulated Gukesh on Twitter, saying, “Congratulations to @DGukesh for becoming the youngest challenger. The @WacaChess family is so proud of what you have done. I’m personally very proud of how you played and handled tough situations. Enjoy the moment.” Both Anand and Gukesh hail from Chennai.
