Question
Consider the following statements:
I. In the finals of the 45th Chess Olympiad held in 2024, Gukesh Dommaraju became the world’s youngest winner after defeating the Russian player Ian Nepomniachtchi.
II. Abhimanyu Mishra, an American chess player, holds the record of becoming the world’s youngest ever Grandmaster.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Explanation
Statement I — Incorrect.
The Chess Olympiad is a team-based tournament organised by FIDE, not an individual “final” event. In the 45th Chess Olympiad (2024, Budapest), India won gold, but there is no individual final where Gukesh defeated Ian Nepomniachtchi.
Gukesh’s major achievement was different — he became the youngest World Chess Champion by defeating Ding Liren in the 2024 World Championship, which is a separate individual event. Hence, the statement mixes two events and is incorrect.
Statement II — Correct.
Abhimanyu Mishra, an American player of Indian origin, became the youngest Grandmaster in history at the age of 12 years, 4 months, 25 days, breaking Sergey Karjakin’s long-standing record.
Thus, only Statement II is correct.