In a surprising development at the World Chess Championship, challenger D Gukesh from India encountered a setback against the reigning champion, Ding Liren of China. Liren’s win in the 12th game of the match equalized the score on Monday.
Gukesh, the 18-year-old chess prodigy, had previously led by a point after achieving his second victory in the match on Sunday, which had ended a series of seven consecutive draws. However, Liren’s win the next day brought the overall score to a tie. With two games remaining in the 14-round classical time control format, both players are now at 6 points each, still 1.5 points shy of securing the title.
The final two games are set for Wednesday and Thursday, after a rest day on Tuesday. Regardless of the results from Wednesday’s game, the match will continue until all 14 games are played, likely leading to a tiebreaker of shorter games to determine the ultimate champion. Liren, aged 32, won the first game, while Gukesh claimed victory in the third. The second game and games four through ten ended in draws.
Liren’s win in the 12th marked his first success with the white pieces. Gukesh’s preparation seemed to falter in contrast to his earlier performances. The game kicked off with Liren employing an English opening, while Gukesh surprisingly chose a position leading to a reversed Benoni defense. Gukesh found it challenging to create counterplay in the middlegame as Liren executed standard developmental moves. By the 15th move, Liren had a slight edge despite being lower on the clock time, and a central breakthrough appeared imminent, granting him a spatial advantage. Gukesh’s 17th move weakened his position further, enabling Liren to achieve the desired central break.
Just five moves later, another mistake from Gukesh allowed Liren to gain a significant upper hand. Liren’s central pawn advanced to the sixth rank on the 27th move, delivering a nearly decisive blow. Gukesh was forced into a pawn sacrifice, and a looming rook invasion added to his woes. The game concluded with Liren executing a tactical sacrifice of a rook to force checkmate, ending in 39 moves. Gukesh’s performance in his upcoming final game with the white pieces, after Tuesday’s rest day, will be critical. Liren’s resilience and determination were evident, and his second victory in this match was notably more decisive than the other closely fought games.
In a previous championship match against Ian Nepomniachtchi of Russia, Liren also showcased his ability to make comebacks before ultimately winning the title.
