NEW DELHI: Indian Grandmaster D. Gukesh on Wednesday secured his first victory over defending champion Ding Liren in the World Chess Championship, leveling the score at 1.5 points each after an impressive third-round performance in Singapore.
The 18-year-old displayed remarkable opening preparation, outplaying the Chinese Grandmaster in 37 moves.
The reigning champion Liren struggled with time management, a critical factor in the game.
By move 13, Gukesh had a significant advantage on the clock, having used only four minutes compared to Liren’s one hour and six minutes.
With players required to complete 40 moves in the first 120 minutes without increments, the intense middle-game complications worked in Gukesh’s favor.
He consistently applied pressure with precise and challenging moves.
“It feels great! Also the last two days I was happy with my play — today was even better. I feel good at the board. Today I just managed to outplay my opponent. During the game we both thought that White was doing well, which is what matters… As long as I played better than my opponent, it’s good,” Gukesh said after the win.
The match featured a less common variation of the Queen’s Gambit, with Gukesh drawing inspiration from an idea employed by former world champion Vladimir Kramnik in a rapid game against India’s top-rated player, Arjun Erigaisi.
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