Chess
World Chess C’ship: Relentless Gukesh fails to tame Liren in Game 13
Ding Liren will now play with white pieces in the final Game 14.
"As the games get less and less, there is more at stake," said Gukesh after the game. (Photo Credit: FIDE)
In the 13th and penultimate game of the World Chess Championship in Singapore on Wednesday, Indian Grandmaster D Gukesh, playing with white, was unable to break the resolve of a resilient Ding Liren of China and settled for a draw after 68 moves.
The scores are now tied at 6.5-6.5 with just one game of classical chess remaining.
Should that game not end on a decisive note, the match will progress to a tie-break where games of shorter duration will determine the world champion.
King pawn opening
Gukesh began with the King pawn on his opening move and immediately faced Liren's French defense.
And as he has repeatedly done in the series thus far, the Chinese spent much of the opening phase of the game thinking while Gukesh worked to pull out new ideas.
In the middle game, select minor pieces were exchanged and yet Gukesh's white was unable to obtain substantial advantage.
And as the game progressed, it began emerging that an exchange of pawns on the queen side would ensue and lead to a drawn endgame.
Gukesh, fully aware that this potentially was his final opportunity to land a blow when playing white, pulled out every trick in the bag.
Liren, meanwhile, kept his cool, traded pieces and ensured parity every time Gukesh came up with a new plan.
Gukesh, for his part, stayed the course and kept pursuing a win, even when a draw was looking large.
Game 1️⃣3️⃣ ends in a dramatic draw! ♟️
— The Bridge (@the_bridge_in) December 11, 2024
Gukesh and Ding are tied 6.5-6.5 with just one game left. 😲
Will we get a winner or head to tiebreaks in the final showdown ? #DingGukesh #FIDEWorldChessChampionship2024 pic.twitter.com/i7Myv1pd3X
Speaking to the media after the game, Gukesh said the situation is getting exciting.
"As close as the match gets, it only gets exciting. Quite excited (about the 14th game), but of course, it's an important game. I will try to do my best.”
The Indian challenger did go on to acknowledge that he came prepared ‘for a fight.’
"As the games get less and less, there is more at stake, obviously. I came for a fight, I was feeling fresh (today), I was feeling confident. And I also had this cool idea prepared, so I was quite excited to play," said Gukesh.
