World Chess Championship 2024

World Chess Championship 2024: A Match of Young Talent vs. Experience

Imagine a chessboard as the stage for two titans, Ding Liren and Gukesh Dommaraju, battling it out in the World Chess Championship 2024. The match was set to unfold from November 25 to December 12, 2024, in Singapore, with the youngest undisputed world champion at just 18 years old. How did this young prodigy manage to dethrone Ding Liren? Let’s dive into the thrilling details.

Organisation and Bids

Bids for hosting the championship were eagerly submitted by Argentina, India (Chennai and New Delhi), and Singapore. FIDE CEO Emil Sutovsky announced that Singapore had been chosen as the venue, with the Equarius Hotel at Resorts World Sentosa being the chosen location. Google was the main sponsor, offering a substantial prize fund of US$2.5 million.

Match Regulations

The match would be played over 14 games, each with a classical time control: 120 minutes for the first 40 moves and 30 minutes for the rest, plus a 30-second increment per move starting from move 41. If the score was tied after these 14 games, tiebreaks would be played in rapid (15 minutes + 10 seconds), mini-rapid (10 minutes + 5 seconds), and blitz (3 minutes + 2 seconds) formats.

Game-by-Game Analysis

Game 1: Ding–Gukesh, 1–0

Ding Liren started with a surprise French Defense, surprising observers. Gukesh faltered early and lost the game. Despite his poor form, Ding was elated, stating he hadn’t won a classical game in months.

Game 2: Ding–Gukesh, ½–½

The second game ended in a draw after Gukesh received Black pieces and chose the Giuoco Pianissimo. Both players were content with the result, as it was not a must-win for either.

Game 3: Ding–Gukesh, 0–1

Gukesh won this game after Ding’s blunder on move 27. The young champion showed his resilience and fighting spirit, converting the advantage to victory.

Game 4: Ding–Gukesh, ½–½

The fourth game was a draw as both players made cautious moves. Gukesh’s decision not to take a repetition by playing Qh4 surprised Ding and led to a balanced endgame.

Game 5: Ding–Gukesh, ½–½

Ding played the French Defense again but this time Gukesh exchanged pawns on d5. Despite Ding’s blunder with dxe5, both players agreed to a draw by threefold repetition.

Game 6: Ding–Gukesh, ½–½

The sixth game saw Gukesh make an early inaccuracy and Ding played well to save the position. However, Gukesh’s decision not to take a repetition led to a draw by threefold repetition.

Game 8: Ding–Gukesh, ½–½

The eighth game was another draw after Gukesh gained an advantage but failed to capitalize. Both players agreed to a draw in the endgame with opposite-colored bishops.

Game 9: Ding–Gukesh, ½–½

In the Catalan Opening, both players traded pieces and drew the game after reaching an opposite-colored bishops endgame.

Game 10: Gukesh–Ding, 1–0

Gukesh surprised Ding with a poor position but failed to capitalize. The game ended in a draw as both players agreed to a repetition.

Game 12: Ding–Gukesh, 1–0

Ding played one of his best games ever, winning the twelfth game with computer-like accuracy and pawn promotion. Magnus Carlsen praised Ding’s opening choice as effective despite being predictable.

Game 13: Gukesh–Ding, ½–½

Gukesh surprised Ding out of the opening but both players equalized in a hard-fought draw.

Game 14: Ding–Gukesh, 0–1

Ding’s blunder with cxb5? allowed Gukesh to take the lead and ultimately win the match. Gukesh became the youngest undisputed world champion at age 18.

Conclusion

The World Chess Championship 2024 was a thrilling battle between Ding Liren and Gukesh Dommaraju, showcasing the young prodigy’s resilience and fighting spirit. Despite Ding’s poor form, he still managed to win two games, but ultimately it was Gukesh who emerged victorious, making history as the youngest undisputed world champion.