At the age of just 17, Gukesh Dommaraju made history by becoming the youngest player to ever win the men’s Candidates chess tournament. The tournament was full of tension, with a nail-biting final day where Gukesh secured a draw against Hikaru Nakamura. However, it was American Fabiano Caruana who made the critical mistake that allowed Gukesh to take the lead and ultimately win the tournament.
Gukesh finished with a score of 9/14, while Nakamura, Nepomniachtchi, and Caruana finished behind him with 8.5/14 each. This victory marked a significant milestone in Gukesh’s young career, establishing him as a rising star in the world of chess. Just a year earlier, Garry Kasparov achieved the same feat at the age of 20 in 1984. Kasparov went on to become world champion that very same year, defeating fellow Russian Anatoly Karpov in what would become one of the most iconic chess matches in history.