Gukesh's Candidates title marks tectonic shift in chess world: Garry Kasparov

Garry Kasparov of Russia, a six-time world chess champion and an icon of the sport, said D Gukesh's FIDE Candidates title-winning performance in Toronto marked a new tectonic shift in the chess world.

"The Indian earthquake in Toronto is the culmination of the shifting tectonic plates in the chess world as the 17-year-old Gukesh D will face the Chinese champion Ding Liren for the highest title," Kasparov wrote on X

"Look at the names of many of the top junior players in the USA and England to see that the Chinese and Indian diaspora are just as passionate to achieve at chess," he added.

Kasparov also said "The 'children' of Vishy Anand are on the loose", as three of WestBridge Anand Chess Academy's (WACA) players marked their presence at this year's Candidates.

Alongside Gukesh, his fellow Indian grandmaster from Chennai, Praggnanandhaa in the open category and Vaishali in the women's section were part of the Candidates. The trio trains at Anand's WACA Chess Academy in Chennai.

Gukesh, on Tuesday, became only the second Indian to win the Candidates tournament since Viswanathan Anand in 2014 and will challenge the world champion Ding Liren of China in November for the World Championship title.