Atreyo Mukhopadhyay in Singapore City
At the age of 18 and carrying the expectations of a nation of a billion and a half, D Gukesh is up against it. Ding Liren has stood in front of him like the proverbial Chinese Wall and defended everything hurled at him. In the last of the 14 games to be played today, the defending champion is the favourite because he will have the advantage of playing with white pieces.
The World Chess Championship match being played at the luxurious and picturesque Resorts World Sentosa is actually on a knife’s edge. Whoever wins this game is going to become the champion. If Ding wins, he will become one of the few players to have defended this title. If Gukesh triumphs, he will become the youngest-ever chess world champion.
Because Ding came up with a comprehensive display in the last game that he played with white and outplayed Gukesh in that crucial 12th round encounter to draw level immediately after a defeat, he seems to have an edge in this one. Even if this ends in a draw and the match heads into tie-breaker, the player from China will draw confidence from the fact that he is way ahead of the Indian when it comes to rankings in the rapid and blitz formats to be deployed in the tie-breaker.
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In the classical format, Gukesh is ranked fifth at the moment and Ding 22nd. The picture changes totally when you go to the rapid segment. Ding is second and Gukesh 46th. In blitz, the Chinese is sixth and the Indian 82nd. There is no hint of doubt when it comes to saying who the favourite is when it goes to the shorter formats. Ding, actually, needs just a draw with white to take it there.
“Obviously there will be nerves. There will be lots of excitement as well,” said Gukesh when asked by RevSportz after the 13th game if things are going to be any different in the last round. “It’s going to be a very important game. But, my approach will be the same. Just go there with the same kind of energy and give it my best. And then see what happens.”
Gukesh looks and talks like an unusual 18-year-old. His body language never betrays emotions when he is on the board and when he is interacting with the media. In that sense, he can keep emotions in check. That’s a handy trait when it comes to playing chess, because his opponent also doesn’t get an idea of how and what he is feeling.
In the last round of this epic encounter — the first-ever World Chess Championship featuring two Asians — Gukesh will have to bring these traits on the table, rather board. His opponent has sniffed blood and he will go for it. The youngster from Chennai will first have to ensure that he defends well. If he does that, it’s anybody’s game. What happens after that, we will see.
Also Read: Another draw means Gukesh has to be at his defensive best in last game