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The World chess championship, which resumes in Singapore on Friday after a break, promises plenty of excitement and the possibility of a historic feat. The match between Ding Liren, the defending champion from China, and D. Gukesh, the 18-year-old challenger from Chennai, is tied 1.5-1.5 after three games. It is played over 14 games and the player who scores 7.5 points will become the champion. If Gukesh wins, he will become the youngest World champion in history, which dates back to 1886 when Wilhelm Steinitz won the title after beating Johannes Zukertort. The current record belongs to Garry Kasparov, who was 22 when he emerged as the World champion in 1985 after conquering fellow-Soviet Anatoly Karpov in an epic battle that lasted over a year. Gukesh had begun the World championship as the overwhelming favourite: he had been in sparkling form going into the match while Ding had to battle not just poor form but, according to his own admission, mental issues as well. Some of the world’s top Grandmasters had even predicted that Gukesh would win rather easily. But, sport has a habit of proving predictions wrong, and Gukesh’s campaign got off to a disastrous start, as he was outplayed in the first game. Ding’s win was his first in classical chess in 304 days.
He played solidly to draw the second game, but in the third, Gukesh showed why he is rated so highly by many. He played exceptional chess to post what was his first ever win in classical chess in six meetings with Ding. The chess witnessed thus far has been fascinating and there is much to look forward to in the remaining 11 games (and the tie-breaks, if required). The match has generated huge interest, not just because of Gukesh’s potential to break Kasparov’s record. This is the first ever World championship between two Asians. The first Asian to win the World title was Viswanathan Anand, who is now a mentor to Gukesh and to other exciting young talents of Indian chess. It is also a battle between India and China, the world’s two most populous nations, neighbours and the continent’s superpowers. India is ranked second in world chess and China third, while among women, China is ranked first and India second. But a couple of months ago, India won the gold at the Chess Olympiad in Budapest in both the sections. Gukesh had played a key role at the Olympiad, and now he has another opportunity to underline India’s supremacy in the mind game that is rapidly growing in popularity, especially in India.
Published – November 29, 2024 12:10 am IST
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First moves: On the World chess championship
