World Chess Championship: D Gukesh, Ding Liren stay stage on factors after third consecutive draw

D Gukesh and Ding Liren stay on stage phrases six video games into the World Chess Championship in Singapore with the 2 gamers enjoying out a 3rd consecutive draw of their newest assembly on Sunday. Gukesh and Ding thus stay stage on 3 factors out of a attainable six per week into the World Championship at Resorts World Sentosa with just a little below two weeks left within the occasion.

Sunday’s fixture witnessed reigning champion Ding, enjoying with white items, and 2024 Candidates winner Gukesh
shake arms after 46 strikes with a threefold repetition concluding the sport and making certain the 2 gamers walked away with half-a-point every.

What stood out within the sport that started with a London System and was off to a frenetic begin was Gukesh’s rejecting Ding’s provide for a attract his twenty sixth transfer. Ding had been making an attempt to push for a draw through threefold repetion round that stage of the sport, however Gukesh determined to press on in a show of attacking intent.

I can not consider this! As soon as once more, in a really nice danger free comfy endgame, Ding opted to repeat strikes! That is so disappointing!

It’s Gukesh who refused to just accept a draw and deviated! Kudos to him for making an attempt to battle on!#DingGukesh pic.twitter.com/1hLNN74NAY

— Susan Polgar (@SusanPolgar) December 1, 2024

Regardless of shedding each of their bishops and knights, each Gukesh and Ding managed to maintain the sport energetic with their queens, which that they had exchanged as early because the ninth sport within the earlier spherical on Saturday. Nevertheless, as soon as the 2 contestants went for a queen alternate within the thirty fourth transfer, the sport appeared headed in a single path.

Didn’t see the explanation to take the draw: Gukesh

Talking to reporters after the sport, Gukesh opened up on his resolution to reject Ding’s provide for a draw, saying he needed to maintain the sport working for some time and “see what occurred” as an alternative of shaking arms in lower than 30 strikes.

“I assumed I is perhaps barely worse out of the opening however I wasn’t even positive. However with the recordsdata open in entrance of his king I assumed I might all the time have counterplay and I didn’t see a motive to take the draw repetition. Clearly, I wasn’t enjoying for a win, I simply needed to play a number of extra strikes and see what occurred,” stated Gukesh, who’s aiming to change into solely the second Indian to be topped world chess champion after Viswanathan Anand.

Ding, who had defeated Ian Nepomniachtchi within the World Championship in Astana final 12 months, admitted he had let the benefit “slip away at a important second” but once more and can be hoping to keep away from that within the the rest of the best-of-14 sequence.

“I really feel like I’m letting my benefit slip away at a important second. I’ve to enhance this within the following video games,” stated the 32-year-old Chinese language Grandmaster.

Gukesh and Ding will subsequent meet on Tuesday in Recreation 7 with Monday being the second ‘Relaxation Day’ of the continuing championship.