Ding Liren eased to an impressive win in game 1 of the 2024 FIDE chess World Championship on Monday against D Gukesh. The defending champion saw off a fast and furious start from his young challenger, reversed the pressure by staying calm and starting with employing the French defence, he eventually won rather comprehensively.
Ding now leads the 14-game match 1-0.
This is the first time in 14 years that a win has been registered in game 1 (that was Viswanathan Anand vs Veselin Topalov)
At one point at the start, Ding was trailing Gukesh by an hour but as the game wore on, Ding made a few quick counterattacking moves, leading with his queen and that threw Gukesh off his game. Threating the diagonal with queen a5, Ding piled the pressure on Gukesh's opening.
With half an hour left on the first time control (40 moves have to be completed in two hours minutes), Gukesh went defensive with a castle as he grew wary of Ding's threat on the Queen side. With another defensive move, rook to d3, Ding marched forward with his queen and continued to hammer home the advantage. With time pressure piling up, Gukesh was forced to go into blitz mode towards the end. His 40th move was made with one second left on the clock, but in making the time control, he had to make a few quick moves that put him in a compromised position.
Ding took his time to turn on the screws, before taking his first break from the board, walking away and staying away for a few minutes before re-entering and finishing the match in one move. As Gukesh offered his hand for the defeat, Ding finally broke into the briefest of smiles.
Game 2 will be same tomorrow, and we'll be here to cover it live. You can relive the first game's proceedings live right here:
Yeah, Ding is here to play
Anirudh Menon
With his form waning, and his attitude self-deprecating, there were murmurs that this could be a World Championship for Gukesh to lose. But Ding Liren has shown the world just why he is the reigning king. Staying calm under early pressure, he amped up the pressure bit by bit to take a most comprehensive win.
DING LIREN WINS!
Anirudh Menon
Oh Gukesh offers a handshake, seeing how impossible this situation is and DING LIREN TAKES THE WIN!
This is the first time in 14 years that game 1 has seen a result and Ding Liren starts his defence in some style.
Ding is not at the board!
Anirudh Menon
Ding Liren has moved off to take a bathroom break, and that's a first! He usually stays put... this gap sees Gukesh move his bishop to e6 to check Ding's King and Ding calmly moves it to the side...and that's that.
Ding, Ding, Ding
Anirudh Menon
Ding is ripping apart Gukesh's defence here. He's up three pawns and has full control of Gukesh's territory right now. It looks very hard to defend from here.
Superb from the champ, and a lesson learnt early on for the young challenger.
BOTH PLAYERS MAKE THE TIME CONTROL!
Anirudh Menon
Gukesh is defending gamely here, but Ding's moving in for the kill here. And Gukesh makes his last move JUST IN TIME... that's his 40th move with ONE SECOND LEFT... and Ding has two minutes to make his final move. Gukesh's rushed movement has put him in a poor position and with a minute to go, he pulls off the first check. Gukesh defends and that's the clocks restarting with thirty more minutes each.
Ding taking his time.
Anirudh Menon
Ding takes a whole minute up and that's entirely reasonable considering the situation (I repeat, but it's so key, here). A minute and a half now. Two and a half and it's now a proper blitz as they both make quick moves.
Can Ding force a win here?
Anirudh Menon
GUKESH HAS 46 seconds to make seven moves after he moves queen e3. Ding has six minutes left and that's a long, long time considering the situation.
Gukesh is running out of time, surely?
Anirudh Menon
TWO MINUTES LEFT FOR EIGHT MOVES. Can Gukesh make the time control? 1:35 now and wow, he's still not moved!
Time pressure setting in
Anirudh Menon
Ding castles, and Gukesh moves black bishop to d4 and Ding doesn't take the bait and moves his knight to d3. 6:32 left for Ding, less than 3 for Gukesh.
This now essentially a blitz game for Gukesh for the next eight moves.
Ding keeps at it
Anirudh Menon
Ding goes Queen c4 to put pressure on Gukesh's queen... and he responds by moving it wide to d2. Gukesh has 3:39 left on the clock... Ding has 10:00 and counting down. Ding has 11 moves to hit that 40 move mark and he's now down to seven minutes.
Was that a blunder?
Anirudh Menon
Gukesh moves queen c2 and now Ding has options in front of him. It's a defensive move from the Indian, and it remains to be seen if Ding has the confidence to take charge here.
There are of course opportunities for Gukesh, and now Ding is taking his time with his response. 15:10 and counting down for him. Gukesh is on 4:27
Are we in the endgame?
Anirudh Menon
For Gukesh to win, he surely has to checkmate Ding. Twelve moves left to 40 and he has less than five and a half minutes to go to execute them. Ufff, the nerves.
This is finely poised
Anirudh Menon
If Gukesh can hold his nerves with the time ticking (7:23 and less) there's an opening in Ding's defence, with a bishop move. But has Gukesh seen it? Has he calculated the potential counters Ding would mount?
Ding on the charge again.
Anirudh Menon
OOO! Gukesh moves knight to f4 and Ding takes it with his queen. Gukesh has less than ten minutes left on the clock. Ding has 16:57 and we are 27 moves down.
Gukesh pulls back some ground
Anirudh Menon
Ding does the calculations and makes the risky move to take the e6 white pawn with his f pawn. Gukesh responds by moving his knight back to e2. Ding takes his queen to e5. A better position for Gukesh, but the table is on shaky ground here.
Does Gukesh have a way out?
Anirudh Menon
Ding's taking his time because as much as he's pushed Gukesh back, his position is not the safest. There are gaps that can open up with one wrong move and with the kind of form he's been in (very very bad), he could well be second guessing himself here. It's such a crucial juncture.
Ding has less than 19 minutes on the clock and it's counting down. Gukesh has 12:13 left
Ding remains on top
Anirudh Menon
Ding moves rook up to c3 as he solidifies his position high up the board in Gukesh territory. He has 22:34 left on the clock, with 24 moves done. Gukesh has 13:20 and counting (down) as he considers what to do.
His leg seems to be shaking in that subconscious manner we all do at times and you can see the chair rocking at high speed. Gukesh takes the rook Ding moved up, and Ding takes that one with his queen. Gukesh then takes the e pawn with a move to e6 and Ding remains in control.
Ding takes a pause as Gukesh defends well
Anirudh Menon
Aaditya: "I think this is the first time all day that Ding has taken his hands off the table. He's leaning back, hands folded, looking like someone who has made some incredible progress in the game."
As he sends us that, Gukesh moves his queen left to b1 and that's given Ding a bit of a pause.
- Aaditya Narayan in Singapore
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