Gukesh bounces back in style at World Chess Championship 2024

India’s GM Gukesh Dommaraju, the world’s youngest World Championship challenger, made a strong comeback, handing defending champion China’s GM Ding Liren his first loss of the FIDE World Chess Championship 2024 in the third round at the Resorts World Sentosa in Singapore on Wednesday, November 27. The second game, on Tuesday, ended in a draw. Gukesh won the third game – his first classical win over Ding Liren – and equalised the score of the match at 1.5-1.5, ahead of rest day on Thursday, November 28. Gukesh said: “It feels great. The last two days I was happy with my play. My play today was even better, I feel good at the board and today I just managed to outplay my opponent which is always nice. “I was prepared until move 13, I guess he was trying to remember something, but maybe he mixed up at some point. My position after g5, with this plan f3-e4, seems very shaky for him.” Gukesh D: “It feels great. The last two days I was happy with my play. My play today was even better, I feel good at the board and today I just managed to outplay my opponent which is always nice.” Gukesh D wins on time after 37 moves and equalizes the score at the FIDE... pic.twitter.com/Oc03Jy7Z6s — International Chess Federation (@FIDE_chess) November 27, 2024 On Monday, Gukesh, who had White squandered time advantage to eventually lose the first round. ALSO READ: Ding ‘ready for a fight’ vs Gukesh in Round 3 On Wednesday, however, Ding folded after 37 moves, losing on time. ALSO READ: World Chess Championship final 2024: All you need to know about Gukesh vs Ding After the first two games, Ding led by a point, thanks to his win in the first game. But Gukesh had the white pieces for the second time. The third game somewhat shaped up like the first, at least in terms of speed play, for the Indian teenager. Gukesh was playing fast while Ding thought long and hard. The game was particularly important for the 18-year-old prodigy from Chennai – the birthplace of several of India's top players, including the five-time world champion Viswanathan Anand – who is the youngest contender for the World Chess Championship, because Thursday was the first rest day. ALSO READ: Psychology will play a crucial role in World Chess Championship 2024: Viswanathan Anand After 13 moves Gukesh had a huge time advantage. Early on, Ding was behind by a whopping 60 minutes on the clock after Gukesh’s 13th move. The queens were exchanged early on. Ding’s rash jump with his light-squared bishop left him in a dilemma. He blundered and was forced to give up a bishop for two pawns, and eventually collapsed in time trouble. Speaking about his breakthrough moment, winning the third game and defeating Ding Liren for the very first time, Gukesh said: It’s always nice to win a game, also for the first against such a strong opponent. “I think it means more that I got a win in the World Championship, and a very important win. I am happy with many things about this. If the 18-year-old from Chennai beats Ding Liren of China, after 14 classical games, he will become not just the 18th World Champion but also the youngest in history, breaking the record set by Garry Kasparov in 1985. On Friday, Gukesh will have the dark pieces.

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Gukesh bounces back in style at World Chess Championship 2024