Fide candidates open

Indian Chess GM Gukesh: 17-year-old Grandmaster (GM) D. Gukesh's performance at the FIDE Candidates Open tournament has left the hearts of India's young and old chess players - and their parents - beating excitedly and spurred prayers that he wins and becomes the challenger for the World Chess Champion title against China's Liren Ding.

The final round of the Candidates tournament, underway in Canada's Toronto, is crucial for four players with Gukesh having a slight advantage with a half-a-point lead over the other three -- GM Hikaru Nakamura of the US (World No. 3), Russian GM Ian Nepomniachtchi, and the US GM Fabiano Caruana with eight points --who are in the contention.

"Gukesh winning the Candidates is one of my daily prayers. He is highly disciplined and mature, as he was even as a very young boy," Woman International Master (WIM) Sai Meera Ravi, the wife of IM T.S.Ravi and mother of Woman GM Rakshitta Ravi, told IANS.