India’s Dommaraju Gukesh (17) became the youngest winner of the FIDE Candidates tournament after an exciting final round on 22nd April in Toronto.
- He is also the only second Indian after five-time world champion Viswanathan Anand to win the Candidates.
- Now, he will play GM Ding Liren for the world championship title later this year.
- Gukesh’s accomplishment this April has smashed many records.
- At 17 years old, he is the youngest to win the Candidates Tournament by over three years.
- He will play the first-ever world championship to not include a European player, which is also the first all-Asian world championship (excluding women’s world championships).
About Candidates Tournament
- The Candidates Tournament is the final event in the World Championship cycle before the World Championship match itself.
- It is the second most important tournament in the World Championship cycle, as the winner of the Candidates Tournament plays the reigning world champion in the championship match.
- The Candidates Tournament is important because it selects the challenger for the World Championship match.
- The Candidates Tournament is an eight-player, double round-robin event. The top three finishers of the FIDE World Cup directly qualify for the Candidates Tournament.