Singapore: Young Indian Grandmaster D Gukesh broke the draw-streak against reigning world champion Ding Liren in the 11th round of the World Chess Championship at the Resorts World Sentosa in Singapore on Sunday. This was a massive step for the 18-year-old Indian as the tournament is just three games away from deciding the new world champion.
After seven consecutive rounds resulting in draw, Gukesh managed to break the deadlock as Liren blundered in desperate move to control time. The Chennai-born player holds a 6-5 lead over the 32-year-old Liren.
The Indian prodigious started off the match by moving his Knight while Liren made a reverse Benoni opening. With an hour ticking on the clock, Gukesh was in the lead, having completed five moves. Liren was under pressure with seven minutes left in the match, and under pressure, he attempted a blunder on his 28th move, a sign of buckling under the pressure.
Meanwhile, Gukesh played smartly, sacrificing his pawn on the queen side to allow his rooks to manoeuvre. Liren made the blunder and soon realised it, wearing a dejected face, but it was too late to stage a comeback as Gukesh pounced on the mistake and completed the winning move expeditiously.
🇮🇳 Gukesh D wins Game 11 of the 2024 FIDE World Championship Match, presented by Google. #DingGukesh
📷 Eng Chin An pic.twitter.com/59UPKxSxoI
— International Chess Federation (@FIDE_chess) December 8, 2024
Can Ding Liren bounce back in World Chess Championship
Gukesh has put himself in a commanding position after the recent win on Sunday. He will try to gain the psychological advantage over his senior opponent in the last three rounds. Tthe history suggests that no challenger in the modern world of chess has ever been able to win after being levelled at 5-5, but Gukesh can change that script in the coming days.
Check out the final moments when @DGukesh won Game 11 against Ding Liren in the World Chess Championship! #GoGukesh pic.twitter.com/wnoP3yQtMa
— ChessBase India (@ChessbaseIndia) December 8, 2024
For Liren, the only comforting thing could be the fact that he had won the 12th game in the last World Championship match against Ian Nepomniachtchi of Russia.
In the remaining three games, Liren will have two games as white and this would be the best chance for him if he has to stage a comeback. Gukesh is just three draws away from winning his maiden world championship title.
D Gukesh vs Ding Lire 11th round moves
D Gukesh – Ding Liren 1.Nf3 d5 2.c4 d4 3.b4 c5 4.e3 Nf6 5.a3 Bg4 6.exd4 cxd4 7.h3 Bxf3 8.Qxf3 Qc7 9.d3 a5 10.b5 Nbd7 11.g3 Nc5 12.Bg2 Nfd7 13.0–0 Ne5 14.Qf4 Rd8 15.Rd1 g6 16.a4 h5 17.b6 Qd6 18.Ba3 Bh6 19.Bxc5 Qxc5 20.Qe4 Nc6 21.Na3 Rd7 22.Nc2 Qxb6 23.Rab1 Qc7 24.Rb5 0–0 25.Na1 Rb8 26.Nb3 e6 27.Nc5 Re7 28.Rdb1 Qc8 29.Qxc6 black resigned.
(With inputs from PTI)
Young Indian Grandmaster D Gukesh on Sunday took a giant step towards the World Chess Championship title by defeating defending champion Ding Liren in the 11th game, taking a 6-5 lead in the contest after a spate of draws. Other Sports Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
