All posts tagged: Candidates 2024

Candidates Champion D Gukesh arrives in Chennai to rousing welcome

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Fans swamped history-making teen Indian Grandmaster D Gukesh as he returned to an enthusiastic reception here on Thursday after becoming the youngest challenger to the world title following his triumph at the prestigious Candidates Chess Tournament in Toronto. Among the fans, hundreds of students from the Velammal Vidyalaya, the school where Gukesh studies, lined up at the airport at least one hour before his flight landed to greet the 17-year-old chess prodigy. Despite Gukesh arriving at 3 am, the crowd built up as his arrival time came close. He was immediately flanked by the jubilant mass and had garlands around his neck as police escorted him out safely. WATCH: Chess Prodigy D Gukesh arrives in Chennai to a rousing welcome “I feel very happy for this homecoming, this is a special achievement. I was in a good space since the beginning of the tournament, I had full confidence that I would emerge top in this tournament and luck was on my side as well,” Gukesh said while talking to the media at the airport. “It’s …

Watch: 2024 FIDE Candidates winner D Gukesh sign autographs to fans in Toronto | Chess News

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Winner of the 2024 FIDE Candidates India’s D Gukesh was seen signing autographs, talking to children and answering their questions at a fan meet-up in the Trinity Bellwoods Park in Toronto. 17-year-old Gukesh had edged past a troika of stalwarts: America’s Hikaru Nakamura, and Fabiano Caruana and Russia’s Ian Nepomniachtchi to become the Candidates winner on Monday. While Nepomniachtchi is a two-time World Championship contender, World No 2 Caruana was competing in his fifth Candidates event, having won it once. Meanwhile, Nakamura, the World No 3, was competing in his third Candidates event. 🇮🇳 Gukesh D, winner of the 2024 #FIDECandidates, at a fan meetup in Trinity Bellwoods Park, 🇨🇦 Toronto, organised by @ChessbaseIndia!@DGukesh chatted with small kids and answered their questions, signed autographs and happily smiled for selfies! 🤩 pic.twitter.com/XzU7CnPF2A — International Chess Federation (@FIDE_chess) April 24, 2024 Despite their experience, they could not prevent the Candidates debutant Gukesh from breasting the tape first. With one one round to go, Gukesh had raced into the lead while the trio were just half a point …

Gukesh’s Candidates title marks tectonic shift in chess world: Garry Kasparov

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Garry Kasparov of Russia, a six-time world chess champion and an icon of the sport, said D Gukesh’s FIDE Candidates title-winning performance in Toronto marked a new tectonic shift in the chess world. “The Indian earthquake in Toronto is the culmination of the shifting tectonic plates in the chess world as the 17-year-old Gukesh D will face the Chinese champion Ding Liren for the highest title,” Kasparov wrote on X “Look at the names of many of the top junior players in the USA and England to see that the Chinese and Indian diaspora are just as passionate to achieve at chess,” he added. Kasparov also said “The ‘children’ of Vishy Anand are on the loose”, as three of WestBridge Anand Chess Academy’s (WACA) players marked their presence at this year’s Candidates. Alongside Gukesh, his fellow Indian grandmaster from Chennai, Praggnanandhaa in the open category and Vaishali in the women’s section were part of the Candidates. The trio trains at Anand’s WACA Chess Academy in Chennai. Gukesh, on Tuesday, became only the second Indian to …

Gukesh to face Ding Liren in World Championship in November-December | Chess News

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India’s D Gukesh will take on reigning world champion Ding Liren in the World Chess Championship in November-December this year. This was revealed by Emil Sutovsky, the CEO at FIDE, the global governing body of chess, on social media after the 17-year-old from Chennai had emerged victorious in the Candidates tournament in Toronto, a prestigious eight-player event held to handpick the challenger to the world champion. The venue for the contest is yet to be confirmed yet. The teenaged Gukesh had edged past a troika of stalwarts: America’s Hikaru Nakamura, and Fabiano Caruana and Russia’s Ian Nepomniachtchi to become the Candidates winner on Monday. While Nepomniachtchi is a two-time World Championship contender, World No 2 Caruana was competing in his fifth Candidates event, having won it once. Meanwhile, Nakamura, the World No 3, was competing in his third Candidates event. Gukesh slipped to second in the open standings at the Candidates chess tournament 2024 after defeat. (PHOTO: FIDE/ Michal Walusza) Despite their experience, they could not prevent the Candidates debutant Gukesh from breasting the tape …

Gukesh wins Candidates: How dramatic Nepo-Caruana game helped 17-year-old script history | Chess News

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Fabiano Caruana and Ian Nepomniachtchi sat on their chairs like exhausted boxers whose legs had given way from the sustained effort of flitting around in the ring, ducking and evading each other’s haymakers. They had battled for 109 moves, withstanding each other’s hardest punches. Then, eventually Caruana’s facade cracked as he realized victory was beyond both of them tonight. He offered a draw. Nepo had anticipated this coming, yet he could not bring himself to accept. “This was very bad,” muttered Caruana as he sat on the table, seeing his fifth Candidates campaign end with a heroic, albeit fruitless, slugfest. “I’m very… I’m very sorry,” choked Nepo, hardly able to look at his opponent after his inability to convert his third Candidates appearance into a victory for the third consecutive time. A draw meant both their chances of qualifying for the World Championship were done and it would be 17-year-old Gukesh, a cub from the land of the Madras Tiger, who would be taking on China’s Ding Liren. When the day began, Gukesh, Nepo, Fabi …

WATCH: 17-year-old Gukesh breaks into rare smile after fans in Toronto sing his name | Chess News

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Throughout the grueling three weeks of chess, the 17-year-old Gukesh hardly ever showed a tinge of emotion. On Monday after becoming the ever World Chess Championship contender, the boy from Chennai was seen smiling after he heard the fans in Toronto were singing his name. Gukesh will challenge Dang Liren at World Championships. In the video going viral on the social media, Gukesh was received a thunderous applause from the fans outside the arena. Gukesh couldn’t control his smile after he heard the chants of “Gukesh, Gukesh!” The interviewer asked Gukesh: “How do you feel?” Teenagers these days pic.twitter.com/6sZClEI1SL — Mike Klein (@ChessMike) April 22, 2024 “Amazing! Right now I am just so relieved. I was watching this Nepo game,” said the youngster reflecting on the match between Ian Nepomniachtchi and Fabiano Caruana, who battled for 109 moves before agreeing to a draw. “Right now I am just relieved. It has been an amazing three weeks. Right now I am just so happy,” said Gukesh. Gukesh was the second youngest player ever to compete at …

Candidates chess: How a brave Gukesh forced his way to a win with black and stayed in contention at the top | Chess News

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With three rounds to go at the Candidates, Ian Nepomniachtchi had the top spot in the Open section all to himself. Destiny in his hands. Another shot at being the World Champion. Then Round 12 happened where a series of results blew the tournament wide open. From an Indian perspective, the day saw D Gukesh force his way back into the reckoning as he masterfully plotted his way to the top of the leaderboard, completing a win with black pieces against Nijat Abasov. It took a surprise opening, a well-thought-out series of first 14 moves, and a solid end-game, as he displayed maturity that belied his age. Gukesh, Hikaru Nakamura, and Fabiano Caruana all had to win to keep the pressure on Nepomniachtchi. So, they did. Nepomniachtchi himself had to be held back so that he wouldn’t stay in complete control. So, R Praggnanandhaa stepped up, bouncing back from a personally damaging defeat in the previous round. Gukesh has said on a few occasions that he sees the Candidates as an individual tournament and it …

Gukesh wins big, becomes joint leader after round 12

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17-year-old D Gukesh secured a big important win over Nijat Abasov that helped him go level on points with leader Ian Nepomniachtchi, who drew against R Praggnanandhaa in round 12 of the FIDE Candidates 2024 at the Great Hall of Toronto on Thursday. Gukesh will be the youngest Challenger for the world championship ever if he wins this year’s Candidates. He showed amazing composure against Abasov and played a smooth game, slowly outplaying his opponent with the black pieces and not allowing counterplay for his opponent. “I thought it was a pretty good game,” said Gukesh after beating Abasov. “I felt like I was outplaying but he still had some drawing chances in the endgame,” he added. 🇮🇳 Gukesh D (2743) defeats 🇦🇿 Nijat Abasov (2632); we have a three-way tie for first between Ian Nepomniachtchi, 🇺🇸 Hikaru Nakamura and 🇮🇳 Gukesh D with two rounds to go. Round 12 #FIDECandidates 📷 Michal Walusza pic.twitter.com/y4QLy3Aj6u — International Chess Federation (@FIDE_chess) April 18, 2024 Going into round 12 as the sole leader, Nepomniachtchi was held to …

Despite being given no odds to succeed, Indian grandmasters leave a mark at Candidates chess | Chess News

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Six players, one point apart, four more games each, playing for one position that matters — finishing atop the FIDE Candidates 2024. Over the next five days, Ian Nepomniachtchi, D Gukesh, R Praggnanandhaa, Hikaru Nakamura, Fabiano Caruana and Vidit Gujrathi — will play four of the most decisive games of their careers as they race towards the top spot of the double round robin event featuring eight players where finishing first gives the right to challenge the World Champion. It’s a tournament where pressure comes in many forms, not just from the opponent across the board. Sample this: The racing pack of six is currently separated by one point on the standings after 10 games. No American has been world champion since Bobby Fischer in 1972, over five decades back. Caruana, who has competed in four Candidates previously, had his shot in 2018 but was denied by Magnus Carlsen. No Russian has ascended the throne since Vladimir Kramnik in 2006. Nepomniachtchi has had two shots at the title, after winning the last two Candidates tournaments, …

Alireza’s father unhappy with Candidates’ organisers, threats to call police

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The final stage of Candidates is up on the horizon but the controversy surrounding French grandmaster Alireza Firouzja keeps on extending to the next level. Alireza is going through a tough phase in the tournament both on and off the table in Toronto, Canada. FIDE’s Technical delegate for the Candidates has alleged that Alireza’s father threatened to call the police if he was not allowed to watch games of his son from the balcony of the playing hall. Things started heating up after round nine of the tournament when Alireza Firouzja took on the current joint leader Ian Nepomniachtchi. The match ended in a draw despite an early lead in the game for the Frenchmen. After the match, a controversy erupted and Alireza posted a series of tweets, against the chief arbiter at the Candidates 2024 chess tournament, who warned him for his shoes which made too much noise during games. “Shameful action by the chief arbiter Marghetis towards me during the game. Middle of the game in the most intense moment when I was …