Indian Grandmaster Dommaraju Gukesh scripted history in Toronto today by becoming the youngest winner of the Candidates Chess Tournament, thus becoming the youngest ever challenger to the world chess title.

Gukesh will take on the reigning world champion, Ding Liren of Chine, for the crown later this year.

The 17-year-old from Chennai bettered a record created by the legendary Garry Kasparov 40 years ago (in 1984 at the age of 22).

He also became only the second Indian after Viswanathan Anand to win the Candidates Chess Tournament, the five-time world champion’s triumph coming in 2014.

Not just today, but Gukesh has been making history for a few years now. In January 2019 he became India’s youngest grandmaster at 12 years 7 months and 17 days. Then, in September 2023, he replaced Viswanathan Anand as India’s top chess player after more than three decades. Till then, the legendary player had been India’s number one since July 1986.

Born in Chennai to a Telugu family on May 29, 2006, Gukesh learned to play chess at the age of seven. It was his school coach who trained him to become a FIDE-rated player. His father is an ENT surgeon and mother, a microbiologist.