GM Ding Liren has said "it will be a big fight” against GM Gukesh Dommaraju during Round 3 of World Chess Championship 2024, at Singapore's Equarius Hotel in Resorts World Sentosa, on Wednesday, November 27.
The reigning world champion said this, on Tuesday, shortly after India’s GM Gukesh Dommaraju held him to a draw with dark pieces after nearly three hours of play in Round 2.
Liren said: "I think it will be a big fight tomorrow [Wednesday]- he’s a point down and he will have the white pieces, so I’m ready for a fight.”
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Gukesh said: "I think I will try to play a good game, because after all the only thing you can do to try and win is to play a good game.”
After 23 moves each, game 2 ended in a draw after a threefold repetition, on moves 20, 21,22, and 23 before Gukesh and Liren decided to go for a draw.
20. Ne2 Nc6
21. Nc3 Nd4
22. Ne2 Nc6
23. Nc3 Nd4
During the press briefing at the end of Round 2, Gukesh said: "Draw with black in the world championship match is always nice and it’s too early, we still have a long match.”
Ding still continues to lead the World Championship 1.5-0.5 after the second round. Game 1, on Monday, saw Ding – playing with the black pieces – upsetting his 18-year-old opponent to take an early lead.
After game 2, Liren said: "In the first game I played something new in the opening and of course it requires a lot of memory. Today I also played not a common move [for me] 1.e4 and I prepared a lot.”
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Unlike in game 1, Ding Liren played with speed in Game 2. At some point, he also left his chair to go to his private lounge a few times. After 14 moves, Gukesh was under a disadvantage of almost 50 minutes on the game clock compared to the world champion.
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In Round 1, on Monday, the 32-year-old Chinese took a 1-0 lead in the 14-game Championship, with the GM to reach 7.5 points first set to win the world title. It was Liren's first classical win in 304 days.
The 18-year-old Gukesh had come up with an early surprise in the opening, pushing his king pawn forward, with attacking intentions in a line similar to what the legendary Viswanathan Anand picked in his first world championship-winning contest against Alexei Shirov of Spain in 2001. The Chinese chose the French defense to combat the situation and, Gukesh resigned on the 42nd move.
Gukesh, who is the youngest ever challenger for the world championship crown will play with the white pieces again in Round 3, on Wednesday. The player to reach 7.5 points first in the 14-game series will win the chess world title.
A look at all the moves by Liren and Gukesh in Tuesday’s match. Liren had the white piece.
1. e4 e5
2. Nf3 Nc6
3. Bc4 Bc5
4. d3 Nf6
5. Nc3 a6
6. a4 d6
7. O-O h6
8. Be3 Be6
9. a5 Bxc4
10. dxc4 O-O
11. Bxc5 dxc5
12. b3 Qxd1
13. Rfxd1 Rad8
14. Rdc1 Nd4
15. Ne1 Rd6
16. Kf1 g6
17. Rd1 Rfd8
18. f3 Kg7
19. Kf2 h5
20. Ne2 Nc6
21. Nc3 Nd4
22. Ne2 Nc6
23. Nc3 Nd4