FIDE World Chess Championship: Gukesh Fails to Seize Opportunities Again as Ding Outsmarts Him in a Stalemate Game 8

Singapore, Dec 4 (NationPress) For the second consecutive match, India's D. Gukesh was unable to take advantage of a substantial lead and ended up in a weaker position as Game 8 concluded in a draw against the reigning champion, Ding Liren of China. Ding defended with remarkable skill, turning the tide in yet another thrilling roller-coaster ride in Singapore.

Gukesh initially held a significant edge in both position and time, and while Ding had previously appeared on the verge of defeat in Game 7, he devised a risky strategy and seized the advantage. Although Ding proposed a draw by repeating moves, despite his slight lead, the brave 18-year-old Indian player chose to reject the offer. After more than four-and-a-half hours of exciting play that spanned 51 moves, the game ultimately ended in a draw.

Both competitors remain tied at 4-4 after eight games. Gukesh will undoubtedly feel disheartened, as he failed to convert another promising position into a victory for the second consecutive match. This marks the fifth consecutive draw in their 14-game match, following two wins in the first three games.

The match began with Gukesh taking charge.

Ding chose the English Opening, and the Indian challenger executed the initial moves at a blistering pace, unveiling a novelty (by advancing his pawn to the f6 square) on the seventh move. He continued to play swiftly, quickly gaining a 30-minute time advantage over the reigning champion.

Gukesh successfully disrupted Ding's prepared strategy, forcing the Chinese player to expend increasing time on each move, and soon the Indian GM had double the time compared to Ding. A positional error by Ding, moving his rook to b1, made his pieces considerably less stable.

As the game progressed, the 32-year-old Chinese player found himself with only 16 minutes to complete 16 moves before the first time control and had to play hurriedly, resulting in another poor move that worsened his position.

However, Gukesh's inaccurate move slightly diminished his advantage, allowing Ding some respite. The Chinese player displayed exceptional skill, opting for a sacrifice and executing a king move that compelled Gukesh to make another imprecise move, causing Gukesh's advantage to evaporate and his position to become precarious.

Following three inaccurate moves from Gukesh between the 26th and 28th turns, the balance shifted against him, leading to a disadvantageous scenario. He faced a lethal double pin on his knight and rook and had less than 10 minutes remaining to make 10 moves. Ding continued to strengthen his position, gaining the upper hand while Gukesh fought valiantly under pressure. Nevertheless, it was not straightforward for Ding, as Gukesh still had two connected pawns on the a and b files, presenting potential threats.

Both players managed to reach the time control just in time. Although Ding was ahead in material, he offered a draw by repetition of moves. Gukesh, however, chose to ignore it and opted to continue the game, despite facing imbalanced material and his opponent's slight edge.

The game concluded in a draw after Ding compelled the exchange of queens, ending after 51 moves.