The Dream becomes a reality | 17-year-old Gukesh wins FIDE Candidates 2024

Gukesh created history by winning the FIDE Candidates 2024. He became the youngest ever to do so in the history of chess and he did it at the age of 17 years and 11 months. Gukesh scored 9.0/14. With this achievement Gukesh has earned the right to challenge Ding Liren for the World Championship title. In this interview with Sagar Shah and Amruta Mokal, Gukesh relives his journey towards the Candidates title ahead of some of the biggest names in the world of chess - Nakamura, Nepo, Caruana and others.
Timestamps of the full interview:
0:00 - Gukesh and Sagar in Toronto, Amruta in Mumbai!
0:35 - Can't fall asleep
1:13 - The smile is back!
1:58 - Don't ask me about the routines
3:04 - Preferring a loss before the rest day
5:28 - Painful loss against Firouzja
6:00 - Respect to the chessboard
7:00 - Ra2 against Vidit, Game 1
7:57 - ...Bg4 by Vidit, Game 1
9:09 - Adjusting to the pressure
10:54 - Facing the chaos
11:55 - Pragg's fiery prep against Gukesh - Game 2
12:57 - No increment before move 40
13:49 - Incredible ...Ra7 against Pragg, Game 2
16:04 - Following other games during the round
17:10 - Gukesh on Magnus' tier list for the Candidates
18:23 - Head-to-head score against Pragg
19:42 - Not converting against Nepo on game 3
21:42 - Support from Gajewski
24:48 - Holding a tough draw against Fabi, game 4
26:32 - Not letting the Magnus tier list affect him
28:57 - Facing Abasov's Petroff, game 5
34:54 - Queen endgame against Abasov, game 5
37:05 - Gukesh's pre-game rituals
39:26 - Boring draw against Nakamura on game 6
40:00 - Round 7 against Firouzja
43:59 - Pickleball on rest day
45:08 - Clean win against Vidit, Round 8
47:42 - Meeting Sandeep Singhal in Toronto
49:03 - 5-year sponsorship from WestBridge
50:24 - A pretty checkmate
53:36 - Consulting Vishy before the Candidates
55:44 - Fan interactions in Toronto
58:20 - Calm draw with Pragg, round 9
58:53 - The role of Vishnu Prasanna
1:01:07 - ...Nge7 surprise against Nepo, round 10
1:03:32 - The amazing fxg5 against Caruana, round 11
1:04:50 - Finding out missed chances
1:07:43 - No engine training helping Gukesh?
1:09:30 - Situation before Round 12
1:10:36 - ...h6 against Abasov, Round 12
1:18:11 - A very nice update
1:19:52 - Must-win game against Firouzja, Round 13
1:31:30 - Diet during the Candidates
1:32:40 - The role of his parents
1:34:48 - Amruta's emotional moment
1:37:14 - WC match location
1:39:05 - Plans for today
1:40:10 - Final round against Nakamura
1:46:00 - Thankyou, goodbye and final thoughts
Video: ChessBase India
#Chess #ChessBaseIndia #Gukesh
----------------------------------------------------------------
◾Support young talents via HelpChess Foundation: helpchess.org/
◾Review us on Google: g.page/r/CZ5T1PaLM-7WEBE/review
◾Chess Shop: chessbase.in/online-shop/
◾ChessBase India on amazon: amzn.to/2vv0XXy
◾Contact us: chessbase.in/contact
Most important links of ChessBase India: linktr.ee/chessbaseindia

[@AnishGiriOfficial]

Oh, Sagar, this one is definitely going viral.

[@spandankarmakar741]

❤❤❤❤

[@backslash8874]

We love you Anish 🥹🥹❤️ Before the reply thread is full, please solve the mystery. Did you take that pawn from Gukesh's table that fine day?

[@backslash8874]

@@niteshchaudhary7158 But why are you telling this to Anish?

[@thebruhtruth8973]

AG OP!❤🎉

[@djrohan_9]

Ag ag we love ag

[@vvBoost]

I've never seen a thing of Gukesh's parents, but I just know they are so proud of his character. They did a great job raising & teaching him.

[@Stonefalconetti]

His father always accompanies him to the tournaments he plays in. Maybe you saw a bit of him in the videos.

[@jazzydriven2784]

There is a long good interview Sagar did during the Chennai olympiad with Dr Rajnikanth, Guki's father.

[@Phoenix.219]

You might have seen a man around 50 alongside him in many videos. He was also in that sponsorship video Sagar uploaded. In that video there was Westbridge head talking to Gukesh and his father

[@Phoenix.219]

Also if you are talking in general you have never seen them then there are 2 videos of them. One was probably 6 yrs ago and another one 2 yrs ago. Just search Gukesh parents maybe (I don't remember how I got that on my feed.. It was on Chessbase India)

[@KirtiKumarKasat1]

​@@Phoenix.219 you are right

[@Jeremy73950]

“I was more prepared to face the chaos” Gukesh D. What an inspiration, this boy only at 17 knocking at the door of the world championship. Wish the best for him

[@kunalsingh4418]

Totally agree. Gukesh was my favorite prodigy kid, but honestly never expected he would be at this stage this soon. Thought it would take 2 more years atleast. Just amazing performance from him, especially the way he remained calm throughout, it was simply awe inspiring. And it's not just him either. Nodirbek, Arjun Pragg & Keymar, all of these kids are doing excellent as well. Really feels like we entered a new era of chess now.

[@Jeremy73950]

@@kunalsingh4418 Mine as well, and I’ve been watching his games closely ever since the last Olympiad, his game has definitely evolved since then. For eg the contrast from his Olympiad game against Nodirbek to his game against Hikaru in the last round of the candidates is striking, he knows when to push for a win and when to shut down his opponents play and is more calm and collected. I am rooting for him do well in the world championship and he definitely has what it takes to be a champion.

[@conquerersyt8928]

84% voted in favour of uploading the video now. Sagar: We should also respect minority 16%.

[@the_moonlight.]

He is secular 😅

[@rahulgamer4574]

Secular ❌ *Stupid ​✅@@the_moonlight.

[@r0ckyr083]

Decision was already made. He just wanted to gain interaction for the video I suppose...

[@risa5118]

Life is unfair

[@divyanshtandon6123]

@@the_moonlight.do you even understand what secular means🤣

[@SilverSlayer]

This dude became my fav chess player in a matter of 1 tournament. Sorry Magnus

[@Anonymous-8080]

Same but second favourite. My fav is still Vidit.

[@spreadtrader19297]

@@Anonymous-8080 magnus is THE GOAT, you are still hasty calling him great , Gukesh won bcos fabi messed up

[@amitmondal1953]

​@@spreadtrader19297even if fabi won they would've played a tiebreak and in tiebreak under pressure anyone could win irrespective of your rating. Btw nobody is saying that gukesh is great . he was just saying that gukesh became his favorite player which is completely different. Everyone knows gukeshbis just starting and has a very long way to become a great

[@zBroBG]

Well everyone has opinion with their favorites, so it doesnt needs to match your choice​@@spreadtrader19297

[@Phurngirathaana]

And you'll become a Ding fan if he retains his WC That's pathetic You don't appreciate skills You are a fan of the winners

[@Livo990]

He is so comfortable and cheerful with Sagar and amruta.... Love to see him like this... Vamos Gukesh!!!❤

[@hiren11]

Highly appreciate Sagar and Amruta for smartly keeping the whole interview an interweave of chess and non-chess questions. That made it so palatable for a non-specialist audience.

[@masteroogway1470]

Disrespecting the 84% majority from the community poll😂😂😂😂

[@sourovdas7883]

no, he is

[@ADITYAKUMAR-tb4gm]

Lol

[@anantmishra9813]

Life is unfair

[@harshsitut]

Life is unfair

[@Phymacss]

Life is unfair

[@Stonefalconetti]

03:40. Exact thing I thought. During the dinner with Vishy, everyone was astonished when he said he prefers a rest day after a loss than a win. Also, HE was astonished that everyone else thought he was weird thinking so. I knew then that he was a different kind. High level of maturity and intelligence.

[@PEACE_LUVR]

Bhai…Gukesh made everyone so proud… Make me rethink about life in general 😊

[@silvioparlanti]

Amazing kid!!! Doesn't behave or talk like a teenager. India people should be proud not only of the quality of his chess, but also his remarkable personality. Congrats, and a big hug from Argentina

[@mayurkulkarni2829]

39:06 Sagar shah's Dad Jokes for Amruta 😂This is impact of Samay 🗿

[@akshrags-mindmaze3407]

😂

[@divyanshuchadha8210]

Gukesh - Underrated Legend Rooting for you to bring the crown back home boy

[@fundhund62]

Legend? 🤔😂

[@apexNo1re]

Gukesh isn’t talked about enough. A 17 yeard old World Champion contender should be mentioned way more than Alireza and Prag.

[@DaDankStrafe]

It just happened tho lol. And now that it happened, he is getting a ton of praise. Alireza was youngest ever 2800, so he deserved to be talked about.

[@user-uk9er5vw4c]

what? the whole world is celebrating him

[@2ndavenuesw481]

It's a great achievement under pressure, but it is only one tournament. An incredibly difficult tournament, but don't count your chickens before they're hatched, he's not champion yet!

[@2ndavenuesw481]

And even if he wins, it will be an extraoardinary feat, but there will be an asterisk because Magnus is still considered the world's best player.

[@convey1997]

​@@2ndavenuesw481 so who asked Magnus to not play or defend his title 🤔 always crying about the format 😂 and recently he's been annihilated in classical by many lower rated players and gukesh also beat him recently so he's not invincible

[@mahamhussain]

He is just 17 and very disciplined after winning such a huge competition. One thing I like about him is his humbleness and honesty. I pray for Guki to win the world championship against Ding and complete his dream.❤️

[@kikilogan7500]

Gukesh seems so comfortable in this interview compared to others.

[@ApexPredator21]

Because he knows Sagar bhai since he was a child.

[@atulbesra822]

Sagar and Amruta are like close family members to him. Amruta and Sagar took Gukesh and other child prodigies to Europe to get trained by Kramnik. Sagar and Amruta were like their guardians who took care of them throughout that tour. This and many other interactions have developed a close bond among them.

[@kikilogan7500]

@@atulbesra822 That's great to know 👍🏻

[@higherbeingX]

There is a famous interview of Gukesh by Sagar when he was 9 years old. To a question 'What do you want to become?' Gukesh saying "The youngest world champion in the world"

[@himankghosh2333]

Timestamps of the full interview: 0:00 - Gukesh and Sagar in Toronto, Amruta in Mumbai! 0:35 - Can't fall asleep 1:13 - The smile is back! 1:58 - Don't ask me about the routines 3:04 - Preferring a loss before the rest day 5:28 - Painful loss against Firouzja 6:00 - Respect to the chessboard 7:00 - Ra2 against Vidit, Game 1 7:57 - ...Bg4 by Vidit, Game 1 9:09 - Adjusting to the pressure 10:54 - Facing the chaos 11:55 - Pragg's fiery prep against Gukesh - Game 2 12:57 - No increment before move 40 13:49 - Incredible ...Ra7 against Pragg, Game 2 16:04 - Following other games during the round 17:10 - Gukesh on Magnus' tier list for the Candidates 18:23 - Head-to-head score against Pragg 19:42 - Not converting against Nepo on game 3 21:42 - Support from Gajewski 24:48 - Holding a tough draw against Fabi, game 4 26:32 - Not letting the Magnus tier list affect him 28:57 - Facing Abasov's Petroff, game 5 34:54 - Queen endgame against Abasov, game 5 37:05 - Gukesh's pre-game rituals 39:26 - Boring draw against Nakamura on game 6 40:00 - Round 7 against Firouzja 43:59 - Pickleball on rest day 45:08 - Clean win against Vidit, Round 8 47:42 - Meeting Sandeep Singhal in Toronto 49:03 - 5-year sponsorship from WestBridge 50:24 - A pretty checkmate 53:36 - Consulting Vishy before the Candidates 55:44 - Fan interactions in Toronto 58:20 - Calm draw with Pragg, round 9 58:53 - The role of Vishnu Prasanna 1:01:07 - ...Nge7 surprise against Nepo, round 10 1:03:32 - The amazing fxg5 against Caruana, round 11 1:04:50 - Finding out missed chances 1:07:43 - No engine training helping Gukesh? 1:09:30 - Situation before Round 12 1:10:36 - ...h6 against Abasov, Round 12 1:18:11 - A very nice update 1:19:52 - Must-win game against Firouzja, Round 13 1:31:30 - Diet during the Candidates 1:32:40 - The role of his parents 1:34:48 - Amruta's emotional moment 1:37:14 - WC match location 1:39:05 - Plans for today 1:40:10 - Final round against Nakamura 1:46:00 - Thankyou, goodbye and final thoughts

[@snehasg21]

Pin this please 😊 and yes, thank you for the interview ❤

[@sakthi2807]

Thankyou mann✨

[@djsjsjjejebfbdj]

Thank you so much

[@dhavalpatel4123]

36:59 dragon wake up💥💥📐

[@AnSfee]

Sagar's happiness is boundless. Interviewed Guki as a young boy, whose dream was to be the youngest world champion. Now, interviewing him as the youngest challenger; Sagar is living this boy 's dream. CBI has captured all those moments 😊😊😊

[@PhantomFuris-gu6nz]

I just finished the whole interview.... I wish I could be a focused person like him.... But I bow down to your resilience ,patience and mental toughness... Love you Gukesh for every thing you have provided... 🙏❤🇮🇳

[@RupeshMaity]

I have learned more about life from this 17 year old than any other self-help book.

[@ravivaradhan4956]

Sagar bhai, please do a similar interview with Pragg and Vidit. They both played a tremendous tournament and gave it their all. We should be very proud of all of them.

[@arslankhan-kt9mf]

This is worth watching....better than anything right now ❤

[@sh_dh9]

Thank you for this stream guys!

[@JaiSriRam801]

*Hare Rama😍What a moment this is! Undoubtedly the Biggest moment of chess in recent times! Huge Congratulations to my brother Gukesh🌟U made History🌟*

[@Sabrina_asdfg]

I am so impressed with how wise he is at his age. A true inspiration.

[@joydutta9136]

Gukesh ❤

[@matto8129]

India has some very strong and young chess players. I'm looking forward to next year's matches also. Congrats India and much love from the states.

[@7567BotS]

What Gukesh has done in Toronto is phenomenal. As much as I was rooting for Hikaru in the past 3 weeks, Gukesh has shown why he is now an elite player and deserves to be appreciated as such. He might well be the youngest World Champ, but I think Ding will put up a good fight.

[@Prakhar_Kumar00]

Gukesh never feels that comfortable in other interviews, so this one is surely gold

[@devangliya7131]

This was brilliant. Guki looked so comfortable, love the depth of the conversation and analysis!

[@ritikd225]

39:00 Sagar Shah noticed how Gukesh puts his knoghts but has no idea about Amrita. This man operates on a different dedication level.

[@Aditya_Kumar_12_pass]

Congratulations gukesh. Our media doesnt care about anything outside cricket.

[@souptikpal4736]

Actually not literally every news channel broadcasted his achievements yesterday.

[@suneelkumarrajavaram1534]

Gukesh, I am impressed by your maturity and the way you are appreciating the supporters and articulating your thoughts, many adults need to learn from you.

[@ryubhaguddu777]

Sagar bhai, amazing thumbnail and video editing. Thanks ❤

[@ED-gr2lf]

Thank you for this interview! I love your KZbin channel and have now become a supporting member. You did an excellent job with the live broadcasts of the Candidates, I enjoyed watching Gukesh - and also Prag and the other players and watching your heartfelt conversations, commentary on the channel LIVE. Great. Best regards from Southern Germany

[@SayanDas1000]

Great interview! Seems like it was shot on the same Round 14 day. Kudos to Amruta btw. She streamed the entire night that day and then hopped onto this two-hour interview!

[@GustavoMunoz]

This is incredible. Thanks Gukesh for his openness and kindness.

[@32nishant29]

Very Satisfying SLAP on the people who only supported vidit and pragg only and overlooked Gukesh ! Very Very satisfying. Just Loved it. Now win the championship Gukesh! 🏆

[@omieyadav638]

Tbh Vidit and Pragg were more known to people. Gukesh was always underrated one. 😊

[@shreyaskrishna6038]

I'll be honest i was one of them..

[@thunder22]

Please don't bring this toxicity into chess , chess was good underrated

[@mohamedmunif7880]

I watched it fully😍… Soo happy for Gukesh..

[@risaalshaan]

A legendary video.

[@nonishadas4444]

So proud of you gukesh. Congratulations ❤❤

[@saatviksharma1532]

39:20 How Sagar and Amruta met

[@swapneshgawas1968]

I dint know that i will watch a interview this long without pausing it, kudos to CBI team and to Gukesh for spending time late night after winning the tournament for this interview.

[@senthilvelavankj]

Thanks to God and Force was with Gukesh. Hearty Congratulations

[@SushobhanPal]

We are proud of you Gugesh ❤

[@srvk123srvk]

Kudos u r deserve Gukesh ❤proud to be an Indian 🎉🎉

[@pallantivenuprasad1572]

Hearty Congratulations Gukesh. Wish you many many more laurels. Wish you break all the records.

[@gulugulu9630]

How could anyone stop admiring this man since he has got so many things to learn about and look upto.

[@rishavgarg330]

Thanks gukesh for giving us this moment. Thanks sagar, amruta, cbi team for excellent coverage.

[@kaivalyapatil5770]

I seriously love the fact that after every game Gukesh arranges the pieces, it's such a good thing to give that respect to the game ❤

[@Haxerous]

Reminds me of Japanese fans cleaning the stadium after their game. Top tier mentality.

[@vuvuzela2]

Gukesh ❤️❤️❤️ Love you bro you made all of us proud

[@subhodeepdas6270]

Insane insane❤

[@elbioalarcon9479]

congratulations Gukesh and all of India for your great chess master, greetings from Argentina

[@kurianbenoy2]

Yo Gukesh ❤❤. Watching all his videos

[@spghose2437]

Gukesh is a natural talent so intelligent answer comes from him naturally. Admissibly inspirational..

[@ravindrawagh0]

Kinda emotional... Kudos man.. what a gem

[@wot_hog]

Gukesh is one of a kind. It is hard to overstate his many qualities as a wonderful human being-with great humility but a sparkle of humor and indomitable will. I would be honored to meet him in person some day.

[@ManishSharma-bp7rg]

Gukesh mentioned he found b5 b4 himself on the board....and many commentator mentioned on live stream that__probably gukesh had seen this idea before_.....amazing

[@ShikharSrivastava]

In fact - *Magnus* couldn't even imagine that Gukesh hadn't seen this idea before.

[@ManishSharma-bp7rg]

@@ShikharSrivastava yes, infact he said that if gukesh have found this idea over the board than its really impressive..

[@ShikharSrivastava]

@@ManishSharma-bp7rg yep!

[@Haxerous]

Not surprised. He is D "very clever boy" Gukesh after all. 😂

[@sushantbesra3716]

so proud of Gukesh you are the inspiration for younger generation

[@kanchan528]

Gukesh looks more mature than his age... So people take it granted... But can u guyz believe...he is just 17 yrs old..with so much calm n composed posture..... amazing ❤what were we doing at 17yrs age😢

[@saharshleo]

Loved it!!! Keep growing

[@kennethwoods6525]

Even Magnus had to stop and give praise to the pawn to B4 move by Gukesh.

[@abhinashavit]

Gukesh is so humble! What a guy!

[@celebrian5582]

Watching this in the evening. What a great interview. This gives in depth insight into the entire tournament from Gukesh himself. I am extremely thankful to chessbase india for this video. It's made my day.

[@pratichi26]

❤❤❤❤❤ Gukesh OP once again. Also, CBI OP as always! You can see how comfortable he is with Sagar and Amruta. My favourite bit of this is the absolute pride on Amruta's face through out. ❤️🤗

[@ajitshenkar]

Congratulations OP❤

[@linkinpork7521]

Congrats to Gukesh for making history

[@devanshupadhyay2658]

so soft spoken well raised man.

[@ssverma10]

Gukesh is the inspiration❤.

[@affablelochan]

Great to see Sagar and Amrutha right from winning moment to the end of this video❤

[@anthonytuscano]

Congratulations, Gukesh. 👍🏼👍🏼

[@Sumeet_100]

Inspiring ❤❤

[@ManishPatel-wb5cq]

Bro did what he said🗿 Gukesh D. Absolute beast🔥

[@kabirrautela9833]

He has such class!!

[@maciekkochanowicz7015]

One of the best chess videos.

[@SirajKhan-cr5zu]

All the best Gukesh for the WC. You've done the whole country proud.

[@asmita5083]

Gukesh is truly an inspiration ❤

[@simalgasny6563]

So proud of youuu Gukesh❤❤🔥🔥

[@rddcol]

Hes still a teenager and he has such a mature personality, honestly such a warm personality

[@SantoshkumarPandeySKCP]

Superb Interview by Chessbase India.

[@ajitshenkar]

Tears of joy OP ❤

[@affablelochan]

I had no idea about Gukesh or candidates before this result. But watching this video gave me all the information I was missing. ❤

[@ManiS-wd2eu]

Proud and god bless you and health and wealth to you ayiur family gukesh dear. Soon accomplish your dream and sucess for more dreams in future. Congratulations to win WC and next tgt Magnus game.

[@AdityaBankar1]

I have been binge-watching Gukesh interviews on various media channels, but trust me, this interview feels like three close friends just hanging out and discussing chess. We as an audience can see the bonding between you guys. Sagar and Amruta, you guys are legends. You have dedicated your lives to chess. Huge, huge respect, and you deserve all the success and more to come. This is just the start.

[@digitalsparrow_8599]

Great interview Sagar

[@unnatibhavsar4072]

Best best interview ever. I have been obsessed with chess and Gukesh in the last 3-4 days that I literally watched all the videos in those days. Congratulations to Gukesh and Chess Base India (Sagar and Amruta) You guys are phenomenal 🩷

[@ra5hid101]

He is so humble.

[@prachimodi1568]

I love the way he say "but yaah"❤ to youngest challenger I hope you'll be youngest champion 🏆 prayers from India 🇮🇳

[@englishphobia5853]

Simply handsome and incredibly intelligent

[@sindhuyadav1285]

Congratulations ❤

[@rajendrajadhav4597]

गुकेश हार्दिक अभिनंदन विजयी झाल्याबद्दल पण तुला विश्व विजेते पद जिंकावं लागेल आणि प्रग्नाआनंद कार्ल सन बरोबर फायनल हरला होता प्राग छान खेळला होता पण तुला डिंग ला हरवायचच आहे तुला खूप खूप शुभेच्छा ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️👍

[@alas.i.am.]

you should upload these longer videos to spotify etc as a podcast

[@SUNILKUMAR-vq4fv]

Congratulations guki ❤🎉😊

[@Coderfr]

Keep that focus Gukesh, you will be the new word champion. Good luck.

[@Dr_Bond]

GUkesh we are proud of you wishing you for matchs with ding

[@subhashshivanker7980]

14th game was very important,fear to loose and in such situations play quatly and fruit were draw..,.equal to win.☝️

[@abdelhamidelkhalladi1536]

Great work

[@theofeitosa7841]

Hey, Gukesh, cheers from Brazil. Congratulations man 👏👏👏

[@InnovativeJoe]

Will the closing ceremony be covered live ? if so what at time will it start?

[@mahendra_devalkar]

Great video sagar bhai 😄