Now at 4–4, Ding Liren–Gukesh battle going down to the wire

The Fide World Championship game between D. Gukesh and reigning champion Ding Liren is turning out to be quite a humdinger. Tied at 4-4 after eight rounds, there has been little to choose from between the two so far, with the defending champion from China showing his tactical nous time and again to keep his challenger at bay.

It looks like anybody’s title at a little past the halfway stage of the match now, with the eighth game ending in a draw after 51 moves — after 4 hours and 35 minutes.

It was a game which saw both Ding and Gukesh spurning good chances to win, while the Indian rejected the offer of a draw before eventually settling for the stalemate 10 moves later.

 ‘’I’d like to thank my team and hopefully we have more such interesting ideas,’’ said Gukesh, crediting his second Gregorz Gajewski for his preparation.

Ding, who had been shrewd enough in underplaying his chances in the build-up to the match, opted for his favoured English opening with white; but Gukesh had a suprise for him in the early moves, resulting in Ding being caught out and spending a lot more time considering his next moves.

Gukesh’s decision to go for broke in the 41^st move drew attention from five-time world champion Magnus Carlsen as well as the Polgar sisters, when he rejected a draw offer and continued to press for the win.

“I used to say that chess players should be somewhere between optimistic and delusional. This clearly was on the delusional side for Gukesh. I thought his position was okay. But this clearly shows the disrespect he has for Ding. Like saying I can play on from any position. You’re not going to try to beat me,’” said Carlsen.

“There was no objective reason for Gukesh to go for this. These decisions are baffling. But also fascinating. Taking risks is one thing. But, dude, what are you hoping for?” the Norwegian master added.

Susan Polgar, one of the strongest backers of the India brigade, also reflected on Gukesh’s decision, saying, “Some players always think they are winning even though they are not, and some are just the complete opposite. This is why chess is very hard at the top level.”

She also praised Gukesh’s fearless approach on the board.

“With Gukesh, you know what to expect. He is like a tank moving forward to bulldoze and destroy his opponent. He does not care who the opponent is. Very contrasting mindset than Ding Liren.

“This is why there is excitement even though he is giving some of his fans heart attack. He is only 18. Be prepared for more for years to come,” The Hungarian-American tweeted.

Ding was extremely behind in time for much of the game, but his moves under pressure were intuitively good. However, Gukesh used his time to fight back — into a slightly losing position. As the players cleared move 40, Ding offered a draw with a three-fold repetition, but Gukesh rejected it — despite being in a disadvantageous position.

‘’I didn't think I was in much danger. I kind of felt like I lost control but I never felt I was losing, because it was still a concrete game,’’ Gukesh said in the post-match press conference.

As the game progressed further, it devolved into an exchange of queens and then there was no other position other than a draw, which the players agreed to after move 51. Thursday, 5 December, will be the second rest day of the 14-round game — which looks set to go down to the wire.