All posts tagged: Chess Candidates Tournament 2024

Gukesh: ‘Right now just want to be the best, don’t care about youngest ever and other records’ | Chess News

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After India’s D Gukesh become the youngest-ever Candidates winner — which also made him the youngest ever player to qualify for the prestigious World Chess Championship, the 17-year-old said that the tag of being the youngest to do things once mattered to him. But at the moment, his goal is just one: to be the best in the world. In his fledgling career, Gukesh has had many pathbreaking moments already, besides becoming a World Championship Challenger as a teenager (he will be 18 when he plays in November). Gukesh became India’s youngest grandmaster ever at the age of 12 years, seven months, 17 days, missing the tag of the world’s youngest by a mere 17 days. Last year, he overtook five-time world champion Viswanathan Anand as the country’s top ranked player for the first time after 36 years. LISTEN: This week’s Game Time podcast is on Gukesh’s rise While Gukesh was charting his course to the win in Toronto, a video from his younger days popped up. He was 11 at that stage and can …

Gukesh wins Candidates: 17-year-old and trainer Grzegorz Gajewski reveal what makes him a mentality monster | Chess News

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What goes on inside the mind of a 17-year-old athlete playing in the biggest event of his career yet, where only finishing first matters? Two days after D Gukesh claimed the Candidates title, thus becoming the youngest player to secure a spot at the World Chess Championship, he and his trainer, Grzegorz Gajewski, offered an insight into the mentality that makes the 17-year-old different. “Even though the game hasn’t started yet, in his mind, he’s already playing it. The preparations are part of the game. He’s fully focussed: analysing different scenarios, not just in terms of openings but also different situations that might occur during the game,” says Polish grandmaster Gajewski, who has also helped other Indian youngsters through the Westbridge Anand Chess Academy and was Viswanathan Anand’s second during his World Championship battles. “Apart from chess preparations, for Gukesh it’s all about staying in the zone. He has a few routines that help him to get into the zone, to focus before a game. In the previous months, we had to introduce a few …

D Gukesh interview: ‘Casual chat with Magnus Carlsen proved useful… came to Toronto to win Candidates’ | Chess News

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When D Gukesh left India to travel to Canada for the Candidates chess tournament, not too many experts had ranked him high on their tier-lists. Magnus Carslen famously said: “I cannot imagine Gukesh winning the Candidates. I think he will certainly win at least a couple of games, but will have some fairly bad losses as well. I don’t think he will do poorly, but I don’t think he will do too well either. He’s not quite ready yet to make the leap. It’s more likely that he has a bad event.” Carlsen’s predictions were certainly understandable, even if harsh. After all, there was a talented line-up of contenders this year who were all hungry for the top spot, the only position at this particular high-stakes event which matters. This included two-time World Championship contender Ian Nepomniachtchi, the World No 2 Fabiano Caruana, who was playing in his fifth Candidates event, having won it once, and World No 3 Hikaru Nakamura, competing in his third Candidates event. But for Gukesh, factors like experience, reputations and …

Gukesh’s Candidates victory a testament to India’s growing stature in world chess | Chess News

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“What is the most unstable thing in the world at the moment? Number 1 chess player of India.” Tweet from Azerbaijani grandmaster Teimour Radjabov in January this year pointing out how volatile the position of India’s top-ranked players can be. In the four months of 2024, the position of India’s top ranked chess player in the live ratings has switched constantly between five players — Viswanathan Anand, Gukesh, Praggnanandhaa, Arjun Erigaisi and Vidit Gujrathi. It’s a far cry from the previous 36 years when Viswanathan Anand was ensconced as India’s top-ranked chess player, mostly unchallenged. Radjabov’s tweet, in fact, had come right after Vidit had been dethroned as India No.1 in the live ratings after a 24-hour stint there. It was in little signs like these that India’s growth on the 64 squares was starting to reflect. Then came the recently-concluded Candidates tournament, an elite eight-player field — both in the open category and for women — that has proven ridiculously tough to crack for Indians. That was, of course, before a group of five …

‘Gukesh is probably bit stronger than we realised’: Magnus Carlsen explains why he’d said he cannot imagine teen winning Candidates | Chess News

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Before the Candidates chess tournament began in Toronto, former world champion Magnus Carlsen was asked to assess the eight-player field in the open section of the prestigious tournament that is being held to select the challenger to the world champion Ding Liren. He had been miserly in his odds for the Indian trio of Vidit Gujrathi, Praggnanandhaa and Gukesh at the gruelling tournament. All three of them were competing in the Candidates for the first time. But Carlsen was particularly blunt about the chances of 17-year-old Gukesh winning the title. Gukesh, the 17-year-old from Chennai, made history by winning the Candidates chess tournament which makes him the youngest ever contender at the World Chess Championship. (PHOTO: FIDE/Michal Walusza) Talking about Gukesh, who was the second youngest player ever to compete at the Candidates, Carlsen had said: “I cannot imagine him winning the Candidates. I can see him being anywhere from +2 to -5 (at the end of the tournament). I think he will certainly win at least a couple of games, but will have some …

Chess fraternity reacts to teen making history

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Gukesh wins Candidates: 17-year-old D Gukesh from Chennai scripted history in Toronto at the prestigious Candidates chess tournament after his draw with World No 3 Hikaru Nakamura ensured that he earns the right to challenge reigning world champions Ding Liren for his crown next year. It was a remarkable achievement for the teenager from India, whose career is already littered with many historic moments. He became India’s youngest grandmaster ever at the age of 12 years, seven months, 17 days, missing the tag of the world’s youngest by a mere 17 days. He overhauled the five-time world champion Viswanathan Anand as the country’s top ranked player for the first time after 36 years last year. Now, he has added another feat to that impressive list. There was a massive outpouring of awe on social media after Gukesh claimed his title with everyone from former world champions to legends of the game tweeting. Here’s how the chess fraternity reacted to Gukesh winning the prestigious tournament. Here’s what five-time world champion Viswanathan Anand said on social media …

Gukesh wins Candidates: The boy raised without chess engines who’ll challenge Ding Liren at World Championships | Chess News

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If anyone still had any doubts about this, the era of the Indian teenage prodigy is here. D Gukesh, the 17-year-old from Chennai who was the second youngest player ever to compete at the prestigious Candidates tournament, has become the youngest ever winner of the event (which will also make him the youngest ever to compete at the World Chess Championship) after his draw against Hikaru Nakamura in the final round of the Candidates chess tournament. While only the draw would have just sent him to the tiebreaks, luck smiled on Gukesh as there was a last-minute draw in the game between Ian Nepomniachtchi and Fabiano Caruana, which propelled Gukesh to the title. In his fledgling career, 17-year-old Gukesh has constantly wooed history. He became India’s youngest grandmaster ever at the age of 12 years, seven months, 17 days, missing the tag of the world’s youngest by a mere 17 days. He overhauled the five-time world champion Viswanathan Anand as the country’s top ranked player for the first time after 36 years last year. Now, …

Chess Candidates 2024 Live Updates: Gukesh takes on Hikaru Nakamura with history on line | Chess News

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FIDE Chess Candidates 2024 Round 14 LIVE: After the exhausting three-week-long marathon that is the Candidates, comes the mad dash to the finish line with four runners trying to breast the tape. D Gukesh, the youngest of the lot at 17 years of age, inched ahead of the three veterans by half a point heading into the final round by defeating Alireza Firouzja in Round 13. The other three challengers — Ian Nepomniachtchi, Hikaru Nakamura and Fabiano Caruana — are half a point behind Gukesh heading into the final round. The Indian holds his fate in his hands as he plays Nakamura in Round 14 while Nepomniachtchi and Caruana are up against each other. Scroll down to check out our live coverage of the 14th round of the Candidates INTERACTIVE: You can follow the move-by-move action from the Round 14 Candidates game between Gukesh and Hikaru Nakamura below and also click on the notations at the right of the board to retrace the way the game developed: .. INTERACTIVE: You can follow the move-by-move action from …

Candidates 2024: With Gukesh holding edge, breaking down all likely scenarios for Round 14, including tiebreakers | Chess News

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After 13 exciting rounds, the Candidates chess tournament reaches its climax today when the final round is played. The open section is a four-horse race between a teenager from India (17-year-old D Gukesh), two men from USA (World No 2 Fabiano Caruana and World No 3 Hikaru Nakamura) and one Russian (two-time Candidates winner Ian Nepomniachtchi). But the final round is expected to see plenty of drama, because Gukesh is facing Nakamura while Caruana takes on Nepomniachtchi in the 14th round. Heading into Round 14, Gukesh has 8.5 points while Nakamura, Nepomniachtchi and Caruana are all on eight points. Here’s a breakdown of all the scenarios: What happens if Gukesh wins the Candidates? IF Gukesh emerges as the winner of the Candidates tournament, he will face the reigning world champion Ding Liren with the crown on the line. That battle is expected to happen next year. Scenarios for Gukesh in Round 14 at the Candidates If Gukesh beats Nakamura in the last round to be played on Sunday, then – irrespective of the outcome of …

Candidates chess results, standings after Round 13: Gukesh wins to take sole lead; Nepomniachtchi draws with Hikaru Nakamura | Chess News

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Candidates Chess 2024: India’s 17-year-old prodigy, D Gukesh, ground out a hard-fought victory over Alireza Firouzja in Round 13 of the Candidates 2024 chess tournament to surge into the sole lead with just one more round left. Three veterans — two-time Candidates winner Ian Nepomniachtchi, World No 2 Fabiano Caruana and World No 3 Hikaru Nakamura — are hot on the Indian teenager’s heels, just half a point behind.  What will spice up the final day of action even more is the fact that Gukesh will take on Nakamura in the final round with black pieces while Nepomniachtchi faces Caruana. Meanwhile, in the women’s section the most notable result from an Indian perspective was 22-year-old Vaishali racking up her fourth victory in a row in Round 13 to bounce back from losing four in a row at one stage. Results from Round 13 games at Candidates Open section Ian Nepomniachtchi drew with Hikaru Nakamura Praggnanandhaa R lost to Fabiano Caruana Vidit Santosh Gujrathi drew with Nijat Abasov Gukesh D defeated Alireza Firouzja Women’s section Nurgyul Salimova …