Prince of Chess :  Grandmaster Gukesh Dommaraju

17-year-old Grandmaster Gukesh Dommaraju scripted history by becoming the youngest man to win the prestigious Candidates tournament and earn the right to challenge for the World Championships crown later this year. The teenager from India finished as the sole leader at the end of a gripping 14-round Candidates tournament in Toronto, Canada. Gukesh will face Ding Liren, the reigning world champion, for the world title later in the year.

D Gukesh drew his final-round match in black pieces against Grandmaster Hikaru Nakamura of the USA on Sunday. Gukesh needed just that on the final day to secure the Candidates title as the game between Grandmasters Fabiano Caruana and Ian Nepomniachtchi ended in a thrilling draw. Soon after the final match of the Candidates ended, loud cheers were heard at the Great Hall in Toronto as the crowd was up on its feet, lauding the extraordinary feat of the newest world title challenger. .

Gukesh will have the opportunity to become the youngest world champion when he challenges Ding Liren later this year. Magnus Carlsen and Garry Kasparov were 22 when they became the world champions.

Gukesh born into a Telugu family on 29 May 2006 in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. His parents hail from the Godavari delta region of Andhra Pradesh. His father, Dr. Rajinikanth, is an ear, nose and throat surgeon, and his mother, Padma, is a microbiologist. He learned to play chess at the age of seven.