Atreyo Mukhopadhyay in Singapore City
“A game or contest that ends with the score even.” That’s the dictionary definition for the word ‘draw’. For those following this World Chess Championship match, this is becoming the norm, and in a fairly boring sense of the term. For the seventh time in the last seven games of this contest, that turned out to be the outcome. This means that D Gukesh and Ding Liren are tied at 5-5.
Ten games gone and four more to go, so it’s difficult to say which way this is going to tilt. Possibly not on either side, within the stipulated number of 14 games. Sometimes, when both want not to lose in a clash of two equally strong players, this becomes inevitable. It may seem drab and boring to the fans, but that’s what the players strive for.
That is exactly how it panned out in Game 10 of this clash at Resorts World Sentosa. Neither side tried to force the issue. It looked like a draw from the beginning and that’s exactly how it ended. The defending champion and the challenger sparred with each other only for a while, realised soon that there was no headway and then signed the peace treaty.
The Indian should not mind this. He said repeatedly that a draw with black in a match of this magnitude is not a bad result. And he has done that so far. In five games with black, he has denied Ding any opening and actually held the upper-hand in some of those. He has stonewalled the champion with as much dexterity as the Chinese has so far.
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Saturday’s game was no different. It was even from the beginning in every possible sense. The players were equal in terms of time and piece position throughout. Two pawns were exchanged early on. Nobody could find an opening into rival territory. The queen exchange suggested that there was going to be no change to the script and that’s how it remained until the rooks got traded.
This was not a bad result for Gukesh. He gave Ding a taste of his own medicine, in the sense how the defending champion had thwarted him in the previous game when he played with white. He was asked after that draw whether playing with black was going to be a disadvantage. The 18-year-old was quietly emphatic in saying it would not matter a lot.
That’s exactly what Gukesh dished out. He didn’t give Ding anything. He just stayed solid, defended with steel, composure, correct calculations and made sure that there were no loopholes in his plan. It was blocking of the highest order, considering the platform and the magnitude of the contest. This, actually, was defence of some quality.
As the players head into Sunday’s 11th round, Gukesh must be confident. Being a teenager against the defending champion, he has perhaps appeared to be the more composed of the two. At times, Ding has looked flustered, although he has not conceded ground. On the other hand, Gukesh seemed to be taking initiatives. This will stand him in good stead in the games to come.
Draw? Let that be. Gukesh will take more out of this one. Remaining games? Bring them on!
Also Read: Black or white, Gukesh is confident of continuing with good show