Singapore is hosting the FIDE World Chess Championship 2024, marking the first time in 138 years that the city-state has welcomed two Asian players competing for the World Chess Championship. The 2024 World Chess championship has been a tense battle, with Ding Liren and Gukesh Dommaraju tied at 6.5-6.5 points each after 13 games. In the 14th game, the last game in the Chess World Championship, the young 18-year-old-old Gukesh from India Triumphs. This article delves into the FIDE World Chess Championship 2024 highlights, focusing on the beginning and blunders.
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FIDE World Chess Championship 2024
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FIDE World Chess Championship Rules and Players
The 14-game World Championship match is scheduled to be played with a time control of 120 minutes for the first 40 moves, followed by 30 minutes for the remaining moves, with a 30-second increment starting from move 41.
Defending champion Ding Liren of China returns to defend his crown after winning the championship in 2023, while Indian prodigy Gukesh Dommaraju challenges him for the title. Gukesh earned his spot by becoming the youngest winner of the FIDE Candidates Tournament, held in Toronto, Canada, earlier in 2024.
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Ding Liren- Gukesh Dommaraju
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Game 11: The Beginning and the Blunder
Gukesh started the move with a reversed Blumenfeld gambit for the first time in his life, sacrificing a pawn for the initiative! His first step was Knight F3, a swift provocative opening. Whereas, Ding Liren took more than 40 minutes to decide on his opening approach. In his words, he explained in the post-match press conference- It was a very tough game for me," Ding said, looking upset. "By the fourth move, I wasn't sure if I had made the right decision. I remembered a game I played against GM Adhiban in a rapid tournament, but I couldn't recall the other moves. I ended up spending 40 minutes working through some useless variations.
The Beginning of Gukesh: Knight F3 (White)
Ding struggled with time pressure, which Gukesh skillfully exploited by sacrificing a b-pawn and launching a strong attack on the queenside. Gukesh brought all his pieces into play, targeting the b-file and the long h1-a8 diagonal. Although Ding fought to hold his position, everyone watching sensed he could falter at any moment.
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Ding Liren Emotions in Game 11
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In the end, the clock became Ding's undoing. With just seven minutes left, he made a critical mistake on move 28, losing a piece in a simple combination. Instead of playing 28…Nb4, which would have given up his extra pawn but kept good chances to draw, he opted for the losing move 28…Qc8. After Gukesh 29. Qxc6, Ding was forced to resign.
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The blunder of Ding Liren: Queen Qc8.
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With this win, 18-year-old chess prodigy Gukesh D took a significant step toward becoming the youngest classical chess champion in history. In one of the most thrilling games of the match, where both players spent nearly an hour on a single move, he defeated reigning champion Ding Liren, bringing the match score to 6-5 with only three games remaining.
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Gukesh Dommaraju from India
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Game 14: The New World Champion Emerges
Ding Liren made a strong comeback to win his 12th game and level the score at 6-6. The 13th game ended in a draw, leaving just one game remaining. If that game had also ended in a draw, the match would have proceeded to tie-breaks.
As seen throughout the tournament, Gukesh's opening play was exceptional. He introduced a new idea with 6…Ng-e7 to reinforce his main line, 6…Bc5.
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Gukesh opening in 14th Game
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Throughout the game, Ding was consistently behind on the clock, and in the end, it proved decisive. Under time pressure, he blundered with 55. Rf2. The 17th World Champion made several mistakes during this tournament, but this was the costliest of all. Gukesh capitalized on it, securing both the game and the tournament victory for himself and his country.
The new champion, Gukesh Dommaraju, emerged as the youngest World Champion in chess history.
In the press conference after the game, Ding Liren remarked, "I believe this was my best tournament performance of the year. It could have gone better, but given yesterday's fortunate escape, losing in the end feels fair. I have no regrets."
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Gukesh Dommaraju After Winning The World Championship
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In Gukesh's words after the win, he explained his win as. "It meant a lot for 8-year-old Gukesh…"