Picture of D Gukesh.© X/@FIDE_chess
The World Chess Championship 2024 is still underway but Indian grandmaster D Gukesh is assured of a huge sum, thanks to his first victory in the third round of the 14-classical match event against Ding Liren. With a maximum of 11 games remaining, the scores are tied at 1.5-1.5. This was after Liren won the opener and the second game ended in a draw. Gukesh went on to win the third game. As per the prize money fixed for a match win in the event, Gukesh will get Rs 1.69 crore, an amount that Liren too assured himself after the first-round victory.
With nerves no longer a concern for him, Gukesh will hold the psychological edge against a slightly shaken defending champion Liren when the two resume their intriguing battle for the World Championship crown in the fourth round in Singapore on Friday.
Gukesh has clearly shown better preparation, while Liren’s calculation let him down in the third game. The match had started with Gukesh facing the Chinese in a French defense game with white pieces and his initial progress gave the Indian a huge time advantage, which he held till the end.
The youngster lost the opener playing badly in a complicated middle game but could take heart from the fact that his preparation had come good.
In the second game, which was his first white, Liren chose a solid variation in the Italian opening and Gukesh had no troubles whatsoever in equalising easily out of the opening itself.
The game ended in a mere 23 moves vide repetition earning Gukesh a lot of respect for his flawless play with a slightly unfavourable colour.
Coming in to the third game ahead of the first rest day, Gukesh decided to put all his energy and his opening choice yet again made Liren spend more than half of the allotted time on the first 14 moves itself.
The Chinese later missed an easy equalising method on his 18th turn but it was largely caused by the initial pressure exerted by the Indian.
With scores level, it is unlikely that Liren will pull out all the stops in the next game. Instead, a more cautious approach is expected, as the Chinese champion will hope his skills hold up in crucial moments, avoiding a repeat of the previous slip-ups.
(With PTI Inputs)
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