Pluck, sizzling form and a cool conduct provided just the right mixture for 17-year-old D Gukesh to win the elite eight-player FIDE Candidates 2024 Chess tournament on debut in Canada on Sunday.  The Indian scripted history as the youngest ever to win the event and earned the right to play reigning world champion Ding Liren of China for the world title later this year. 

Gukesh, apart from R Praggnanandhaa and R Vaishali have been mentored by five-time world champion Viswanathan Anand through the Westbridge Anand Chess Academy (WACA). In an exclusive chat with mid-day, Anand discusses the strengths and merits of Gukesh and how the Candidates panned out in a thrilling and suspenseful way in the last rounds.