Chess Candidates 2024 Live Updates: Gukesh makes history by becoming youngest-ever World Championship contender

 R7: Alireza Firouzja 1-0 Gukesh D

The turning point, according to Gukesh. It is remarkable how a 17-year-old dealt with a crushing moment. In a match he was up a pawn and pressing his opponent, he miscalculated under time pressure. He had his head in hands at the end but quickly recouped composure to shake hands after a heartbreak. “If I had to pinpoint when I really felt this could be my moment was probably after I lost to Firouzja. I was actually quite upset but during the rest day I already felt so good. Even though I just had a painful loss, I was feeling at my absolute best. I don’t know, maybe that loss gave me so much motivation,” Gukesh said on Sunday.

Read the full recap here.

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.

Read more here.

The 17-year-old Gukesh is the second youngest participant in the Candidates in history, after Bobby Fischer. He became a Grandmaster at the age of 12 years, 7 months and 17 days in January 2019, thus becoming the second youngest GM ever. Over the years, Gukesh has strung together many firsts. He became the youngest player to surpass a rating of 2750+, and became the first Indian to overhaul the five-time world champion Viswanathan Anand as India's top-ranked player in the FIDE's published rankings after 36 years. 

There was a point in the Candidates tournament where Vaishali had endured a series of four defeats. She was heading for her fifth defeat in a row in the Round 10 clash against Nurgyul Salimova. The computer was sounding the death knell on the Indian’s chances of surviving with even a draw. Then, lady luck smiled on Vaishali. In the span of a few moves, Vaishali went from a completely losing position to being in a situation where a draw was on the table. But Salimova refused to repeat moves, forcing the game to continue. Eventually, she would come to regret that as Vaishali won the almost six-hour, 88-move marathon. 

“I don’t know (how I managed this). I had a completely lost position against Salimova. It was a lucky win. Both of us were in time trouble. Then something happened,” Vaishali admitted after that game. 

But since that slice of luck, the 22-year-old grandmaster has crafted her own success story in the women’s section, stringing together four more wins, including victories over Aleksandra Goryachkina, Anna Muzychuk, Lei Tingjie and finally Kateryna Lagno on Monday. Both Goryachkina and Tingjie have been contending for the title at various points during the event, so the series of victories should reinforce plenty of faith in Vaishali. 

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, he has added another feat to that impressive list.  

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. 

READ MORE: The boy raised without chess engines who’ll challenge Ding Liren at World Championships

“Gukesh is probably a bit stronger than myself and others realised. The thing about Gukesh is that he can look really vulnerable at times. Then he’s also not very good at speed chess. That can confuse (people’s assessment about him). And he’s not as high-profile as some of the other youngsters, which is confusing. But he’s proven in this tournament that he’s very strong,” admitted Carlsen.

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In 2013, right after Magnus Carlsen won the Candidates tournament in London, a photograph by Norwegian photographer Morten Rakke went viral. In it, the grandmaster is captured behind a door, slumped on the handrail of a staircase, shirt untucked, his face buried into his arm. 

Magnus Carlsen after winning that rollercoaster Candidates tournament in April 2013 in London, photographed by Morten Rakke. pic.twitter.com/fCyrL95WDu

— Olimpiu Di Luppi (@olimpiuurcan) June 17, 2022

Barely had the world championship challenger caught his breath after qualifying for the world championship, he was interviewed by International Master Lawrence Trent, who asked him how he planned to celebrate his victory. Carlsen’s answer was revealing. “My thoughts have not gone further than getting back to my hotel and lying down. That’s what’s next for me.”

Trent prodded him further, asking if he was more exhausted physically or emotionally. “It’s a lethal combination right now,” offered Carlsen. 

That was probably the last time the world has seen Carlsen exhausted by the rigours of elite chess. In the decade that has followed, Carlsen scythed his way through the world of chess, racking up five crowns after battling through five World Championship jousts, before eventually abdicating his throne. 

A case can be made that the World Championship battle is more forgiving than the Candidates. If you err, you come back with redrawn battle plans and take on the same opponent once more. At the Candidates, though, one loss can suddenly become a slippery slope to the bottom of the standings.

India is exceptionally proud of @DGukesh on becoming the youngest-ever player to win the #FIDECandidates!

Gukesh's remarkable achievement at the Candidates in Toronto showcases his extraordinary talent and dedication.

His outstanding performance and journey to the top… pic.twitter.com/pfNhhRj7W2

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) April 22, 2024

Tan Zhongyi, the leader of the FIDE Women’s Candidates Tournament, required merely a draw to secure her triumph. Facing Anna Muzychuk with the black pieces, Tan ventured into a sharp line of the Sicilian Defense. It was evident she was playing according to her preparation as by move 15, she had already ahead by 5 minutes on her clock. On move 16, with 45 minutes down on her clock, Anna Muzychuk made a dubious move, 16. Qd3, and Tan started thinking for the first time in the game. She found the best continuation and obtained a solid advantage, but sadly was unable to convert it into a full point. The game ended in a draw, which was a fine result for Tan Zhongyi, who claimed the overall victory and became the next Challenger for the Women’s World Championship title. 

The runner up going into the last round, Lei Tingjie, was playing with White against Humpy Koneru. Lei entered a sharp and complex position, with White was a pawn down but with enough compensation in piece activity. On move 23, Lei played one of the most beautiful moves of the whole tournament, sacrificing a queen with 23. Qxa5 for an attack on the centralised black king. Black was forced to return the queen as the combination unfolded. When the dust settled, Black up an exchange in the endgame, but White had compensation with the greater activity. However, Lei made a mistake with 31. Rxe6, instead of pushing her passed pawn forward with 31. d7. After that, Black’s king became very active on the queenside, the powerful d6 pawn fell, and Koneru’s position became a winning one – a disappointing finish for Lei Tingjie. As a result of this loss, she was pushed down to the third place in the standings, while her opponent Humpy Koneru, who started slowly in the FIDE Women’s Candidates Tournament, played a great second half of the event to finish second. Vaishali R won her fifth game in a row, this time against Kateryna Lagno, to also share second place on points; the tiebreak criteria puts her in fourth place. Vaishali, who finally found her momentum, is surely on the players who’s unhappy that the tournament is over!

(VIA FIDE Media)

“I would describe Gukesh at the Candidates as steady and focussed. Focussed because he appreciates the occasion and the chance he’s got. And steady because he plays one game at a time and gives the impression of keeping his concentration on the game ahead of him. He’s happy and excited at the chance he’s got. But generally, he’s quite level-headed about his tournament situation. I would say he gives the impression of (being in) control,” Anand told The Indian Express on Sunday.

Now for one more time, Gukesh needs to play the next game just right. If he wins today, Gukesh will make history. “Almost anything a 17-year-old does at the Candidates is pretty historic,” said Anand before adding: “More on that after the round tonight.”

READ MORE

There are a handful of players like Ian Nepomniachtchi, Hikaru Nakamura, Vidit Gujrathi and Magnus Carlsen who produce gripping theatre which is rare in the impassive art form that is chess. These players tend to wear their hearts on their sleeves when they compete, bleeding emotions as they play.

READ OUR PIECE ON BODY LANGUAGE IN CHESS

What a triumph, @DGukesh! The youngest ever to win the FIDE Candidates—at only 17! Your journey from here leads to the World Championship, and we'll be with you at every move.

Go make history! ?? ??#FIDECandidates pic.twitter.com/0Gw2QddBIO

— Sachin Tendulkar (@sachin_rt) April 22, 2024

17-year-old ?? Gukesh has smashed Kasparov's record as the youngest player to win the Candidates cycle and qualify for a match for the undisputed World Chess Championship title!#FIDECandidates pic.twitter.com/nIMH2SZTRO

— chess24 (@chess24com) April 22, 2024

Chess can be so heartbreaking sometimes... ? pic.twitter.com/H6U8BVTtvT

— Chess.com (@chesscom) April 22, 2024

:And the answer is: GUKESH! His concentration and focus are outstanding! His dedication, good nerves, calmness. He is also very strong in being in his presence. Superb performance!  Congrats to Gukesh for winning #FIDECandidates 2024!???," she tweeted. 

From former world champions like Vishy Anand to Vladimir Kramnik to legends of game, here's how the chess fraternity reacted to Gukesh winning the prestigious tournament that allows him to challenge world champion Ding Liren for his crown

READ MORE 

Tan Zhongyi, the leader of the FIDE Women’s Candidates Tournament, required merely a draw to secure her triumph. Facing Anna Muzychuk with the black pieces, Tan ventured into a sharp line of the Sicilian Defense. It was evident she was playing according to her preparation as by move 15, she had already ahead by 5 minutes on her clock. On move 16, with 45 minutes down on her clock, Anna Muzychuk made a dubious move, 16. Qd3, and Tan started thinking for the first time in the game. She found the best continuation and obtained a solid advantage, but sadly was unable to convert it into a full point. The game ended in a draw, which was a fine result for Tan Zhongyi, who claimed the overall victory and became the next Challenger for the Women’s World Championship title. 

First Gukesh ground out a draw against Hikaru Nakamura, and then watched in agony as the fortunes in the Nepo vs Caruana game swung repeatedly before ending in a draw. It was the second draw that confirmed his passage to the World Chess Championship battle. 

Gukesh will become the youngest player EVER to compete in the World Chess Championship.

Here are some images of the most dramatic moments from the game: 

SCENE A: Nakamura straining to find a win against Gukesh, because for him only victory would do in the final round (PHOTO: Maria Emilianova) 

SCENE B: Nakamura realises he cannot push for a win anymore, thereby ending his chances of winning the Candidates (PHOTO: Maria Emilianova)

SCENE C: After 109 moves, Fabiano Caruana and Ian Nepomniachtchi agree to a draw than simultaneously ends both their chances of winning the Candidates. This moment, thus, secured Gukesh's win. (PHOTO: Maria Emilianova)

Gukesh: "It was really nice to see all the people here supporting me and cheering for chess. I usually don’t try to interact with the outside world a lot during the tournament, but surely, whenever they cheered during and after the games, it was really nice to see that. Their support means a lot to me." 

(PHOTO via Michal Walusza)

THE BOY WHO LIVED TO BE CHAMPION ??? pic.twitter.com/sO6lXB51SR

— Dina Belenkaya (@DinaBelenkaya) April 22, 2024

On Monday, Business tycoon Anand Mahindra praised India’s chess sensation D Gukesh, who created history by becoming the youngest-ever World Championship contender. Gukesh, 17, locked horns with Hikaru Nakamura in the final round.

Taking it to X, the Chairman of Mahindra Group wrote, “The ICEMAN prevails!! He comes from a swelteringly hot state, but he’s shown he can keep his cool even when competitive heat is at its peak. Just 17 years old, @DGukesh has a long and shining future ahead of him. And so does Indian Chess. An entire nation stands and Cheers this Chaturanga Champ.”

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Gukesh says: "Always an honour representing my country. To achieve something big for myself and my country is very special to me."

"The main thing was that I was in the right mindset throughout the event. From start to end, I was in good spirits, fully motivated, and I really wanted to win the event. All these things come together. It was helpful that I was sharp chess-wise and I managed to play some good chess but I would say mainly my mental attitude in this tournament was very very good," Gukesh says after winning the Candidates. 

“Gukesh is probably a bit stronger than myself and others realised. The thing about Gukesh is that he can look really vulnerable at times. Then he’s also not very good at speed chess. That can confuse (people’s assessment about him). And he’s not as high-profile as some of the other youngsters, which is confusing. But he’s proven in this tournament that he’s very strong,” admitted Magnus Carlsen.

READ MORE 

Chess can be so heartbreaking sometimes... ? pic.twitter.com/H6U8BVTtvT

— Chess.com (@chesscom) April 22, 2024

I was there too

— Ian Nepomniachtchi (@lachesisq) April 22, 2024

The 17-year-old Gukesh is the second youngest participant in the Candidates in history, after Bobby Fischer. He became a Grandmaster at the age of 12 years, 7 months and 17 days in January 2019, thus becoming the second youngest GM ever. He did become the youngest player from India to become a grandmaster. 

Over the years, Gukesh has strung together many firsts. He became the youngest player to surpass a rating of 2750+, and became the first Indian to overhaul the five-time world champion Viswanathan Anand as India's top-ranked player in the FIDE's published rankings after 36 years.

Now, with his win at the Candidates, he has added one more feat to his already-impressive list of achievements. 

From former world champions like Vishy Anand and Vladimir Kramnik to legends of game like RB Ramesh and Harik Dronavalli, here's how the chess fraternity reacted to Gukesh winning the prestigious tournament that allows him to challenge world champion Ding Liren for his crown.

THE BEST REACTIONS TO GUKESH WINNING THE CANDIDATES

Speaking at the press conference after his draw with Hikaru Nakamura, Gukesh says: "If I had to pinpoint a moment where I really felt this could be my moment was probably... after I lost to Firouzja (in round 7 just before the halfway point of the tournament). Even though I just had a painful loss, I was feeling at my absolute best. Maybe this loss gave me so much motivation."

 

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by FIDE (@fide_chess)

The draw against World No 3 Hikaru Nakamura helped Gukesh put one foot into the World Championship, Of course, he needed some help from Ian Nepomniachtchi and Fabiano Caruana, who had to draw their game for the 17-year-old to avpoid playing tiebreaks tomorrow.

Live Gukesh's victory through this clip! ??? #FIDECandidates pic.twitter.com/4kirj7CNpU

— Chess.com - India (@chesscom_in) April 22, 2024

First Gukesh ground out a draw against Hikaru Nakamura, and then watched in agony as the fortunes in the Nepo vs Caruana game swung repeatedly before ending in a draw. It was the second draw that confirmed his passage to the World Chess Championship battle. 

Gukesh will become the youngest player EVER to compete in the World Chess Championship.

Here are some images of the most dramatic moments from the game: 

SCENE A: Nakamura straining to find a win against Gukesh, because for him only victory would do in the final round 

SCENE B: Nakamura realises he cannot push for a win anymore, thereby ending his chances of winning the Candidates

SCENE C: After 109 moves, Fabiano Caruana and Ian Nepomniachtchi agree to a draw than simultaneously ends both their chances of winning the Candidates. This moment, thus, secured Gukesh's win. 

Before Gukesh played in the final round at the Candidates, his mentor Viswanathan Anand spoke to The Indian Express about the 17-year-old. 

Explaining what he had done right at the event, Anand Anand told The Indian Express on Sunday: 'I would describe Gukesh at the Candidates as steady and focussed. Focussed because he appreciates the occasion and the chance he’s got. And steady because he plays one game at a time and gives the impression of keeping his concentration on the game ahead of him. He’s happy and excited at the chance he’s got. But generally, he’s quite level-headed about his tournament situation. I would say he gives the impression of (being in) control.

He added: “Almost anything a 17-year-old does at the Candidates is pretty historic,” said Anand before adding: “More on that after the round tonight.” 

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In addition to his obvious technical skills, this young man Gukesh has coolness, composure & maturity beyond his years. 

A new Iceman

Which is why—no matter whether he stays on top tomorrow or not—it’s clear he’s going to be a star for many years & will inspire new generations of Indians to take up the game.

I will keep a special place in my albums for this pic, which was taken at the press conference of the launch of the Tech Mahindra Global Chess League in Dubai last year, just after he had turned 17! 

(We played for the camera…I used the Ruy Lopez opening & he very graciously called it a draw after a few moves to save me enormous embarrassment! ?)

There was a point in the Candidates tournament where Vaishali had endured a series of four defeats. She was heading for her fifth defeat in a row in the Round 10 clash against Nurgyul Salimova. The computer was sounding the death knell on the Indian’s chances of surviving with even a draw. Then, lady luck smiled on Vaishali. In the span of a few moves, Vaishali went from a completely losing position to being in a situation where a draw was on the table. But Salimova refused to repeat moves, forcing the game to continue. Eventually, she would come to regret that as Vaishali won the almost six-hour, 88-move marathon. 

“I don’t know (how I managed this). I had a completely lost position against Salimova. It was a lucky win. Both of us were in time trouble. Then something happened,” Vaishali admitted after that game. 

But since that slice of luck, the 22-year-old grandmaster has crafted her own success story in the women’s section, stringing together four more wins, including victories over Aleksandra Goryachkina, Anna Muzychuk, Lei Tingjie and finally Kateryna Lagno on Monday. Both Goryachkina and Tingjie have been contending for the title at various points during the event, so the series of victories should reinforce plenty of faith in Vaishali. 

At the ongoing Candidates chess tournament, no matter how high the stakes, players will allow the occasional butterfly of whimsical distraction to fly into the dungeon of their minds.

Many grandmasters have allowed their minds to take a stroll in the middle of a classical game, because it is simply impossible to concentrate on a chess game for five or six straight hours. Some games can stretch even longer: for example, game 6 of the 2021 world chess championship battle between Magnus Carslen and Ian Nepomniachtchi lasted for seven hours and 47 minutes.

When a classical game stretches on for 5 or 6 hours, chess players allow the occasional butterfly of whimsical distraction to fly into the dungeon of their minds. Here are the oddest thoughts chess players like Tal, Anand, Gukesh, Vachier-Lagrave and Grischuk entertained in the middle of games.

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"Hearty Congratulations to young Gukesh for convincingly winning the Candidates. Inspiring performance! Whole India is proud of you!" tweets RB Ramesh, who is the coach of Pragg and Vaishali, both of whom were competing at the Candidates.

"Congrats to Gukesh on winning the Candidates!! What a tournament ? I knew he was special ever since our first game. He was just 12 years old (but already a GM! ? ) While analysing, both his mature attitude and his calculation skills impressed me hugely. Future world champ? ?" he tweeted.

R1: Gukesh D ½-½ Vidit Santosh Gujrathi

R2: Praggnanandhaa R 0-1 Gukesh D

R3: Gukesh D ½-½ Ian Nepomniachtchi

R4: Fabiano Caruana ½-½ Gukesh D

R5: Gukesh D 1-0 Nijat Abasov

R6: Gukesh D ½-½ Hikaru Nakamura

R7: Alireza Firouzja 1-0 Gukesh D

R8: Vidit Santosh Gujrathi 0-1 Gukesh D

R9: Gukesh D ½-½ Praggnanandhaa R

R10: Ian Nepomniachtchi ½-½ Gukesh D

R11: Gukesh D ½-½ Fabiano Caruana

R12: Nijat Abasov 0-1 Gukesh D

R13: Nijat Abasov 0-1 Gukesh D

R14: Hikaru Nakamura ½-½ Gukesh D

History in the making ?Gukesh becomes the youngest-ever Challenger, and will face Ding Liren for the World Title ? A proud moment for India and a testament to the rising stars in the world of chess ?? #FIDECandidates

?@FIDE_chess pic.twitter.com/h0FuBmUb9V

— World Chess (@theworldchess) April 22, 2024

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, he has added another feat to that impressive list.  

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. 

READ MORE: The boy raised without chess engines who’ll challenge Ding Liren at World Championships

In an interview with Chess dot com before the start of the Candidates, Magnus Carlsen had given his assessment of each of the eight players' chances. Here's what he had said about the Indians. Two of them are joint second at the halfway stage of the tournament: 

Magnus’ verdict on Gukesh: “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 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.”

Congratulations to @DGukesh for becoming the youngest challenger. The @WacaChess family is so proud of what you have done . I’m personally very proud of how you played and handled tough situations. Enjoy the moment

— Viswanathan Anand (@vishy64theking) April 22, 2024

First Gukesh ground out a draw against Hikaru Nakamura, and then watched in agony as the fortunes in the Nepo vs Caruana game swung repeatedly before ending in a draw. It was the second draw that confirmed his passage to the World Chess Championship battle. 

Gukesh will become the youngest player EVER to compete in the World Chess Championship.

Here are some images of the most dramatic moments from the game: 

SCENE A: Nakamura straining to find a win against Gukesh 

SCENE B: Nakamura realises he cannot push for a win anymore, thereby ending his chances of winning the Candidates

SCENE C: After 109 moves, Fabiano Caruana and Ian Nepomniachtchi agree to a draw than simultaneously ends both their chances of winning the Candidates. This moment, thus, secured Gukesh's win. 

India's D Gukesh is headed to the World Chess Championship battle against Ding Liren after winning the Candidates!!

R1: Gukesh D ½-½ Vidit Santosh Gujrathi

R2: Praggnanandhaa R 0-1 Gukesh D

R3: Gukesh D ½-½ Ian Nepomniachtchi

R4: Fabiano Caruana ½-½ Gukesh D

R5: Gukesh D 1-0 Nijat Abasov

R6: Gukesh D ½-½ Hikaru Nakamura

R7: Alireza Firouzja 1-0 Gukesh D

R8: Vidit Santosh Gujrathi 0-1 Gukesh D

R9: Gukesh D ½-½ Praggnanandhaa R

R10: Ian Nepomniachtchi ½-½ Gukesh D

R11: Gukesh D ½-½ Fabiano Caruana

R12: Nijat Abasov 0-1 Gukesh D

R13: Nijat Abasov 0-1 Gukesh D

R14: Hikaru Nakamura ½-½ Gukesh D

We have 100 moves now in the book.

First, Fabiano was winning. Then, he blundered on the 41st move, right after he had crossed the time control. And suddenly the game was heading to a draw. But then, there was a fresh twist when Nepo blundered to hand the advantage back to Fabi. But there was another swing in momentum and now we've crossed 100 moves.

Both Nepo and Fabi know this is headed for a draw!!!!

IF THIS GAME ENDS IN A DRAW, GUKESH IS HEADED TO THE WORLD CHESS CHAMPIONSHIP AS THE YOUNGEST PLAYER TO EVER COMPETE AT THAT STAGE!!!

We're in the 86th move now and the American and the Russian are still battling. There are scores of Indians who're watching this, hoping this ends in a draw soon, which seems inevitable at this moment. 

There was a point in the Candidates tournament where Vaishali had endured a series of four defeats. She was heading for her fifth defeat in a row in the Round 10 clash against Nurgyul Salimova. The computer was sounding the death knell on the Indian’s chances of surviving with even a draw. Then, lady luck smiled on Vaishali. In the span of a few moves, Vaishali went from a completely losing position to being in a situation where a draw was on the table. But Salimova refused to repeat moves, forcing the game to continue. Eventually, she would come to regret that as Vaishali won the almost six-hour, 88-move marathon. 

“I don’t know (how I managed this). I had a completely lost position against Salimova. It was a lucky win. Both of us were in time trouble. Then something happened,” Vaishali admitted after that game. 

But since that slice of luck, the 22-year-old grandmaster has crafted her own success story in the women’s section, stringing together four more wins, including victories over Aleksandra Goryachkina, Anna Muzychuk, Lei Tingjie and finally Kateryna Lagno on Monday. Both Goryachkina and Tingjie have been contending for the title at various points during the event, so the series of victories should reinforce plenty of faith in Vaishali. 

After 71 moves, and with just the two kings left on the board, Gukesh and Hikaru Nakamura have agreed to a draw. 

Now Gukesh's fate lies in the game between Ian Nepomniachtchi and Fabiano Caruana, which is still going on!

About 30 minutes ago, two players were spotted on camera looking around the room at a commotion. I asked FIDE and they claim that a spectator in the balcony fainted and paramedics came but the woman is OK. It’s not yet clear if this happened in time pressure for any of the…

— Mike Klein (@ChessMike) April 21, 2024

... here's some remarkable footage of the two players playing a casual game 

This is from a casual Gukesh-Nakamura bullet match following @NorwayChess less than a year ago. After a gruelling two weeks of classical chess, @DGukesh kindly asked @GMHikaru if he wanted to play some bullet games, and Hikaru accepted the challenge. If I remember correctly,… pic.twitter.com/O0EDFBw4YG

— Mehmet Ismail (@drmehmetismail) April 21, 2024

China's Tan Zhongyi grinds out a draw against Ukraine's Anna Muzychuk to become the Women's Candidates winner. 

She will take on compatriot from China, Ju Wenjun, in the Women's World Chess Championship. 

Did you know that chess was actually banned in China during the cultural revolution? But since last year, when Ding Liren became the world champion, China has both the open and women's world champions.

Here's our piece on China's chess revolution, where The Indian Express spoke to three women’s world champions — Hou Yifan, Tan Zhongyi and Ju Wenjun — and two men’s players Yu Yangyi and Wei Yi about chess in China.

READ MORE

And now a draw is a realistic possibility!!!! Which means it's a realistic possibility that Gukesh ends up heading to the World Chess Championship as the youngest man ever to make it.

The Nepo-Fabi and Gukesh-Nakamura games are still going on. So anything can change in the blink of an eye. But it's now a likely possibility that both games end in draws. 

Just after making time control, and getting a fresh addition of time, Caruana moves his king to a1.

WHICH IS A BLUNDER!!!

And now Nepo can push for a draw now.

WHICH MEANS GUKESH COULD BECOME THE YOUNGEST WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP CONTENDER EVER WITH A DRAW AGAINST NAKAMURA!

Gukesh, sitting right next to the board that's featuring the game between Ian Nepomniachtchi and Fabiano Caruana is really interested in their game. He's almost out of his seat as he tries to check out what's happening there.

Gukesh's one pawn advantage has evaporated now. But both players have suddenly gained plenty of time on their clocks after crossing the time control.