Gukesh D Wins FIDE Candidates Chess Tournament 2024, Extends Win Credit To Idol Viswanathan Anand

17-year-old Gukesh D on Monday registered his name in history with golden letters after winning the FIDE Candidates Chess Tournament 2024. India's Grandmaster has now qualified for the world championship final where will face China's Ding Liren in the final.

The day was full of drama as Gukesh played a draw against Nakamura, but his fate was sealed on the other board where Ian Nepomniachtchi and Fabiano Caruana agreed to a draw after battling 109 moves.

After registering the thumping victory, Gukesh told the media "From the start, I knew this was going to be a high-pressure event. It is one of the most challenging events in chess. Throughout the event I handled the pressure well, remained in good spirits".

Sharing the feeling of qualifying for the World Championship final, the young chess master said: "It means a lot to me. I've always dreamed of winning the world championship. This was a huge step towards achieving that dream."

He said Chess as a sport got a booster in the last couple of years. "It's a great time for chess in India and hope this period of chess sustains itself. There are a lot of chess enthusiasts," Gukesh said.

He extended the credit of his victory to his idol Viswanathan Anand stating I started playing Chees seeing Vishy sir. he is the one who started the chess boom in India.