NEW DELHI: In a significant advancement towards potentially becoming the youngest world chess champion, Grandmaster D Gukesh of India defeated Ding Liren from China in the 11th Game of the World Chess Championship on Sunday.
This victory places Gukesh in the lead with a score of 6-5. This is the first time Gukesh has led in this match, with only three games remaining.
Historically, no challenger in modern chess has ever secured a win after being tied 5-5 after the 10th game, putting Gukesh in a favourable position.
For Liren, the only consolation could be his victory in the 12th game of the previous World Championship match against Ian Nepomniachtchi of Russia.
As it Happened: D Gukesh vs Ding Liren, Game 11
The game began with Gukesh’s Knight move, which was met with a surprising reverse Benoni opening by Liren, suggesting an over-the-board decision rather than a planned one.
Gukesh quickly gained a significant time advantage on the clock, making it challenging for Liren to recover in such a crucial game.
Despite initial concerns about Liren’s opening, the Chinese player capitalized on Gukesh’s erroneous plan in the early middle game, temporarily turning the tables. However, Liren missed a simple manoeuvre that could have given him a slight advantage, and Gukesh responded with a spectacular pawn sacrifice on the queen side, creating space for his rooks.
As Gukesh doubled his rooks on the file, exerting pressure, Liren made a critical blunder, leaving him dejected and Gukesh with a winning move.
With two games remaining as White, Liren has the best chance to stage a comeback, while Gukesh needs only three draws to secure his maiden world championship title. The stage is set for an exciting conclusion to this high-stakes chess battle.
