17-year-old chess prodigy D Gukesh has become the youngest ever and the second Indian to secure a spot in the World Chess Championship against Chinese grandmaster Ding Liren after winning the FIDE Chess Candidates tournament.

What Happened: In a tense day of play, Gukesh managed to hold Hikaru Nakamura to a draw. Meanwhile, Ian Nepomniachtchi and Fabiano Caruana engaged in an epic battle, playing 109 moves before settling on a draw.

The game saw several dramatic turns, with Caruana initially making a critical blunder in his 41st move, potentially handing the game to Nepomniachtchi. However, Nepo’s subsequent error shifted the advantage back to Caruana, leading to the eventual draw.

For Gukesh to secure his historic berth in the World Chess Championship, he required the Nepo-Caruana game to end in a draw. Had either player won, they would face Gukesh in a tiebreaker the following day.

How India Performed: In other matches, R Praggnanandhaa defeated Nijat Abasov, while Vidit Gujrathi settled for a quick draw with Alireza Firouzja after just five minutes of play. In the women’s section, R Vaishali clinched her fifth consecutive win by defeating Kateryna Lagno, and Humpy Koneru triumphed over Lei Tingjie. Tan Zhongyi emerged as the winner in the Women's Candidates event, setting up a clash with compatriot Ju Wenjun in the Women's World Championship.

Gukesh’s draw with Nakamura means he remains in contention to become the youngest-ever player to compete in the World Chess Championship, where Ding Liren awaits the winner of the Candidates tournament.

The only other Indian to compete in a World Championship match is five-time winner Vishwanathan Anand.

Words Of Praise: Anand Mahindra, chairman of Mahindra Group and a long-time supporter of chess, congratulated Gukesh on the historic win and commended his calmness under pressure.

“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,” Mahindra said in a tweet on X.

Disclaimer: Artificial intelligence was used as a secondary aid in the writing of this article.