How a teenager became the youngest challenger in the history of world chess

Countries & Cities · Published 15 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: In April 2024, the Candidates Tournament in Toronto concluded with a historic result. Gukesh Dommaraju, a young prodigy, outplayed the world's elite to secure his spot as the challenger for the World Chess Championship. His victory marked a generational shift, making him the youngest player ever to earn this prestigious title.

The 2024 Candidates Tournament was an eight-player, double round-robin event held at The Great Hall in Toronto from 3–22 April 2024. The tournament served as the final hurdle to determine who would face the reigning World Chess Champion, Ding Liren. The stakes were immense, with a total prize pool of €500,000, and the winner earning the right to compete for the world title later that same year.

The path to the tournament was marked by intense qualification battles. Notably, former World Champion Magnus Carlsen declined his invitation, citing a lack of enjoyment for the current format. This opened a spot for Nijat Abasov, who had finished fourth at the 2023 FIDE World Cup. Meanwhile, Alireza Firouzja engaged in a controversial last-minute attempt to qualify via rating, organizing private matches in Chartres, France, before ultimately securing his spot through a separate tournament in Rouen.

The tournament itself was a grueling test of endurance, featuring 14 rounds where each player faced every opponent twice. By the final round, the competition had narrowed to a tight race between Gukesh, Hikaru Nakamura, Fabiano Caruana, and Ian Nepomniachtchi. In a dramatic conclusion, Gukesh secured a draw against Nakamura while Caruana and Nepomniachtchi also drew their match, allowing Gukesh to finish with a half-point lead. This victory made Gukesh the youngest-ever winner of a Candidates Tournament and eventually the youngest undisputed World Chess Champion.

The event was governed by strict rules to ensure fairness, including specific requirements for players from the same federation to face each other early to prevent collusion. The time control was set at 120 minutes for the first 40 moves, followed by 30 minutes for the remainder, with a 30-second increment per move. These rigorous standards ensured that the tournament remained a true test of skill, ultimately crowning a new, young face of global chess.

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