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Updated 20:30 IST, December 8th 2024

Chess World Championship: Gukesh Takes Lead For First Time As He Wins Game 11

Gukesh put Ding Liren under time pressure, and the Chinese player blundered. Ding soon realized his mistake and immediately shook hands with the Indian.

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D Gukesh vs Ding Liren
D Gukesh vs Ding Liren | Image: X/@FIDE_chess

Indian chess prodigy D Gukesh has made a significant stride towards becoming the youngest undisputed World Chess Champion, as he defeated China's Ding Liren in game 11 of their ongoing championship match. This crucial victory has propelled Gukesh to a 6-5 lead, with the 18-year-old having won two games, including the third and eleventh, while Liren secured a win in the first game. The remaining eight games have ended in draws, setting the stage for a thrilling conclusion to the match. Just three games remain in the classical format. 

Gukesh put Ding Liren under time pressure, and the Chinese player blundered. Ding soon realized his mistake and immediately shook hands with the Indian, conceding the game. Gukesh's win comes after seven consecutive drawn games and eight overall.

History is now on Gukesh's side as no challenger in modern chess has ever scored a win after being tied 5-5 after the 10th game.

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.

The Indian started off with the Knight move on his first turn and was surprised as Liren went for a reverse Benoni opening.

The move was shocking as it looked like it was an over-the-board decision rather than a planned one.

After only five moves, Gukesh had a lead of over an hour on the clock, which is never too easy for the opponent to recover in crunch games.

However, if everyone thought that the opening had gone seriously wrong for Liren, the Chinese had different ideas as he capitalised on an erroneous plan by Gukesh in the early middle game.

Things turned upside down when Liren went for completing his development and missed out on a simple manoeuvre that would have probably given the defending champion slightly better prospects.

Gukesh himself spent a lot of time in the middle game but the nature of the position remained double-edged.

As the clouds began to clear, Gukesh came up with a spectacular pawn sacrifice on the queen side to give moving space for his rooks. Just as he doubled them on the file to exert pressure, Liren simply crashed and made the blunder in a blink.

"After Game 1, I had to show mental resistance because obviously it wasn't a pleasant thing to lose the first game of the World Championship, but then once I hit back, I've started to play good chess," said Gukesh during the press conference.

Gukesh had paid dearly in the opening game for unwarranted complications in his middle game as Liren, playing black, had drawn first blood by defeating the teenaged Indian to take the lead.

The Indian, however, struck back in the third game by showcasing an exemplary opening preparation to outwit the Chinese.

The Chinese player was left dejected as he immediately realised the mistake. Gukesh played the winning move in quick time.

Gukesh said his team had done a great job of preparing him for the opening line in the 11th game.

"My team did some amazing work in this line. I looked at the line; I felt it was very interesting, and the risk-reward ratio was quite nice because I would surprising him for sure," said the teenager.

The Indian categorically rejected the belief that Liren was playing for a draw, saying his opponent too had been in a strong position in game 11.

(With PTI inputs)

Published 18:37 IST, December 8th 2024