Chess World Championship: Entering final stretch

A handy lead has slipped through his grip but Indian Grandmaster D Gukesh will rely on his steely resolve to bounce back when he takes on the enigmatic defending champion Ding Liren in the 13th game of the World Chess Championship that has been quite a rollercoaster ride for the players.

The 18-year-old Gukesh, who is the youngest challenger to the title, and the 32-year-old defending champion from China have been locked in an intriguing battle in which both have held leads for not too long. They will resume on Wednesday after a day of rest.

The scores are currently tied at 6-6 with the first to reach 7.5 assured of the coveted crown.

After squandering away a full point lead with just three games to go, the 12th round loss was heartbreaking for the young Indian and many experts believe that he will go for an aggressive approach in his last game with white pieces under Classical time control.

It won’t be off the mark to say that nerves are likely to play a crucial role in the final stretch. The scores were tied 5-5 after Game 10 but the last two decisive games thereafter have breathed new life into an otherwise well-contested match in which both players have had their chances.

After what he described as a seesaw victory in the 11th game, Gukesh was simply not himself in the 12th game and his idea to play a new position for the first time backfired spectacularly.

If the scores are still tied in the $2.5 million championship, tiebreak games of shorter duration will be played to determine the winner. Generally a smooth operator, Liren looked a pale shadow of himself after the 11th game and the case was no different for Gukesh when he was completely outplayed for the first time here on Monday.

To regain composure is the name of the game here and Gukesh has shown resolve in the past.

Liren, on the other hand, was in a similar situation in the last world championships match against Ian Nepomniachtchi that he won, rallying as many as three times before eventually clinching the tiebreaker.

Liren’s precision was simply immaculate in the 12th game. Gukesh did not look the same player and the Chinese took advantage of the situation right from the word go to earn high praise from many in the elite chess circles.

Five-time world champion across formats, Viswanathan Anand, called it a “very impressive game” while Liren himself said, “it was the best game that I have played in recent times.”

While the mind games will go on in the last two games and a potential tiebreaker, American Hikaru Nakamura and world No. 1 Magnus Carlsen feel that the balance had tilted slightly in Liren’s favour.

“Ding did not have to calculate a single line in this whole game, he is being able to play the game based on positional understanding where he is very good,” said Carlsen on his new YouTube channel.

It might be a tightrope walk for Gukesh but the young Indian is likely to go out there and give his best in the penultimate game.

In case of another draw, there is a decent chance that the chess buffs will get to see the tiebreak games.