Bengaluru: The calm of the previous couple of video games was constructing towards a storm.
Singapore: India’s D Gukesh performs towards China’s Ding Liren within the eleventh sport of the World Chess Championship, in Singapore, Sunday, Dec. 8, 2024. (FIDE/Eng Chin An by way of PTI Photograph) (PTI12_08_2024_000386A) (PTI)
The tipping level lastly arrived in Recreation 11. In a sport which oscillated in momentum and will have gone both manner, it got here all the way down to nerves. Reigning world champion, Ding Liren, cracked and blundered. He now trails within the World Championship match with simply three classical video games to go. Gukesh not solely takes a complete level and the lead within the match but in addition $200,000 for his Recreation 11 win.
“This is a very, very important win,” mentioned Gukesh. “You think you’re just losing and then you get some chance. I mean, you get out of danger and then you suddenly see that you can actually take over the game. It’s such a very pleasant feeling. Basically, I was just making moves and it quickly went completely out of control for him…We were going head-to-head for like the last seven games. I missed a couple of chances earlier. Especially, since this game could have easily gone the other way as well, this is a very important win. There are three more important games to go.” Of the remaining three video games, Ding could have the White items in two of them.
Ding described it as a “difficult” sport for himself. This loss should really feel like an enormous blow to the champion, coming so near the end. “Already on move four, I wasn’t sure if I had made the correct choice. I remembered a game I played in a rapid tournament against (Baskaran) Adhiban but I couldn’t remember the other moves. I spent 40 minutes calculating some nonsense variations.”
Gukesh opened with 1.Nf3 and trotted out 3.b4, a recent opening path. He revealed that 5.a3 – which is a brand new transfer within the place – was one thing his crew ready and confirmed him on Saturday evening. “I was aware of this game that he (Ding) played with Adhiban (in the 2021 Goldmoney Asian rapid online tournament). I really liked the a3 idea, it’s almost never been played before…But what happened after this was terrible for me.”
The concept for Gukesh coming into Recreation 11 was to drum up one thing double-edged, banking on the chances of out-preparing Ding. “My team did some amazing work and I felt it was a very interesting line. The risk-reward ratio was quite nice because I would be surprising him for sure.” Gukesh selected to side-step any queries on the id of his crew members when he was pointedly requested if fellow Indian and 2800-club member Arjun Erigaisi helps him within the match.
“You’ll get to know the team soon…we’ll see after the match,” Gukesh replied.
Requested about his one-hour assume earlier than transfer 11 Gukesh mentioned that he was “kicking myself” for the place he had landed in. “It was such a normal position and then suddenly my queen was stuck on F4 and I didn’t know what to do. At that moment, I was just kicking myself, I had some problems getting myself back in the game. I was just trying to make one move at a time and not lose on the spot. I think 16.a4 was a very important resource because at first I just had no idea what to do in this position.”
Quickly each gamers had been down on the clock. Solely certainly one of them acquired out alive. “We both had less time than the number of moves we had to make. So, it was almost like a blitz game. I was just trying to make one move at a time and not lose on the spot, but this a4 was a very important resource.”
The spate of attracts and Ding taking part in stable and protected with White seemed that the world champion was seeking to steer the match to the tiebreaks. Gukesh mentioned he wasn’t notably involved over the attracts. “I thought there are a few interesting games ahead and anything can happen. I was taking one game at a time and today during the game I kind of lost my cool at some point, because I achieved exactly what I wanted out of the opening and then I just went crazy for some time. But after that, once I realised that I’m not losing and that I have chances, I suddenly won the game. It’s mostly relief I would say because at some point I was just really worried about my position. So yeah, super, super happy and relieved.”
Gukesh’s Recreation 11 win brings him nearer to the title. By the tip of this week, we may properly be taking a look at an 18-year-old world champion from India.
“I did notice Indian fans cheering for me before the game,” mentioned the teenager. “After the game, when I was coming out of the playing hall, I could hear some very nice celebrations. Although I did not see them live, I could hear them which was very nice. I mean what can I say? Indian fans are the best. I’m really grateful for all the support. It’s been quite a long match and all these little things give me the extra energy I need.”