For me, this was an expected outcome in the FIDE Candidates 2024, considering GM Fabiano Caruana and maintaining high hopes for GM Praggnanandhaa and GM Gukesh D. Why? Because the 2018 World Chess Championship (WCC) still lingers in my mind, and Caruana deserved to win it, just as he did against GM Nepomniachtchi in the last round, Round 14. Additionally, the other two Indians were exceptionally formidable in classical chess in the past year. The highlight was Gukesh surpassing the legendary six-time Chess Oscar awardee, pentuple World Chess Champion, Padma Vibhushan Super GM Shri Shri Vishwanathan Anand in classical chess rating on August 3, 2023, and becoming the number one Indian chess player. This phenomenon lasted for 35 years, since GM Anand became India's first chess grandmaster in the year 1988. Gukesh is the youngest chess player to win the FIDE Candidates at the age of 17 years and 10 months in the history of the game. He is only the second Indian to do so!
Post Script : It is indeed India versus China in the upcoming 2024-25 World Chess Championship match.
