The chess world went into a frenzy as Indian player D Gukesh won the prestigious Candidates Tournament in Toronto, etching his name in the history books and being hailed as a potential “future world champion”. Gukesh not only won the prestigious event, but also became the youngest ever world title challenger at 17 years old when he drew with American Hikaru Nakamura in the final round. Five-time world champion and the only Indian to win the Candidates event, the legendary Viswanathan Anand, was one of the first to congratulate the teenager.

“Congratulations @DGukesh on becoming the youngest challenger. The @WacaChess family are very proud of you for everything you have done. I am personally very proud of how you performed and handled difficult situations. Enjoy the moment,” Anand said on ‘X’ wrote.

Congratulations @DGukesh Become the youngest challenger.this @WacaChess Your family is very proud of what you do. I am personally very proud of how you responded and handled difficult situations.enjoy this moment

— Viswanathan Anand (@vishy64theking) April 22, 2024

Gukesh became the third youngest player in history to win the Grandmaster title at the age of 12, and British Grandmaster David Howell said that from the moment of his first match against the Indian, he was Know that this talented player will continue to achieve great things.

“Congratulations to Gukesh for winning the candidacy!! From our first game, I knew he was special. He is only 12 years old (but already a GM!) and his mature attitude and calculation skills gave me Impressed future world champion?” Howell wrote.

Congratulations to Gukesh for winning the candidacy! !What a game
I knew he was special from our first game. He is only 12 years old (but already a GM!) and I was impressed by his mature attitude and his calculation skills when analyzing. Future world champion? pic.twitter.com/9WkkkFXeDg

— David Howell (@DavidHowellGM) April 22, 2024

Former world champion and Russian grandmaster Vladimir Kramnik congratulated Gukesh on his amazing performance.

“What a great night, congratulations to Gukesh and a special award to Fabi and Ian for their incredible performance today. One of the funniest games I’ve ever seen. Bravo, A true warrior who gave everything. Above all, more than anything in chess, with full respect,” Kramnik wrote.

What a wonderful night 🫣
Congratulations to Gukesh and a special award to Fabi and Ian for their incredible performance today. One of the funniest games I’ve ever seen. Awesome, a true warrior who gave it his all.Most importantly, actually more important than anything in chess
Full respect

— Vladimir Kramnik (@VBkramnik) April 22, 2024

With this win, Gukesh broke the 40-year-old record held by the legendary Garry Kasparov. In 1984, at the age of 22, the Russian great qualified for a match against compatriot Anatoly Karpov.

The teenager from Chennai will compete for the title against defending world champion Ding Liren of China later this year.

Indian master Koneru Humpy, who finished second in the women’s category, said: “Congratulations to @DGukesh for becoming the youngest challenger!!” Another Indian master, Tania Sachdev, said that Gukesh’s victory showed that ” The future is here.” “Gukesh wins the candidacy!! The future is here. Today. April 22, 2024 is a day to remember, it will be the 2024 World Chess Championship Ding Liren vs. Gukesh”, Sa Chiddev wrote on Twitter.

Congratulations @DGukesh Become the youngest challenger! ! https://t.co/o0Gl0Z4kCW

— Humpy Koneru (@humpy_koneru) April 22, 2024

Dronacharya award-winning coach Ramachandran Ramesh praised the Indians for their inspiring performance in the match.

“Hearty congratulations to young @Gukesh on his convincing victory as a candidate. Inspiring performance! Entire India is proud of you!” Ramesh tweeted.

Meanwhile, Azerbaijani chess grandmaster Teimour Radjabov is fascinated by the teenager’s achievements.

“@DGukesh Congratulations, that’s awesome! At any age but at 17…that’s awesome!” he wrote.

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)