What D Gukesh needs to do to be crowned youngest chess world champion

Sunday was a special day for Indian chess fans, if not so much for cricket lovers. On a day when India suffered defeats in multiple formats and divisions including men’s Test cricket, D Gukesh gave more than a billion Indians a reason to smile by defeating Ding Liren in Game 11 of the FIDE World Championship in Singapore.

With his victory in 29 moves , Gukesh moved into the lead for the first time in the World Championship that got underway on 25 November. And with the scoreline currently reading 6-5 in the Indian’s favour, Gukesh finds himself on the cusp of history at Resorts World Sentosa.

The Game 12 will be played on 9 December .

What Gukesh needs to do in business end of 2024 World Championship

It is fair to say at this moment that Gukesh is very much in the driver’s seat and is once again a favourite to be crowned champion on the 12th or the 13th of this month.

Ding had taken the world No 5 by surprise by winning Game 1 in 42 moves. Gukesh had collected his first point with a draw in Game 2 before drawing level with Ding with a victory in 37 moves in the third game. The two players weren’t willing to give each other an inch from Games 4 to 10, resulting in seven consecutive draws with Game 7 ending in a thrilling 72-move stalement.

More from Sports

Why Novak Djokovic’s tennis calendar is under scrutiny as experts fear he could be left behind Federer ‘Gukesh is an incredibly fighting player. I think it’s adorable’: Caruana’s rare praise for world champion amid horror form

Gukesh’s victory on Sunday, however, has broken the deadlock once again and back-to-back wins for the Indian GM on Monday will put him on the cusp of becoming only the second Indian to be crowned world champion after the legendary Viswanathan Anand.

Also Read | D Gukesh says Game 11 against Ding Liren could have 'easily gone the other way'

If Gukesh emerges triumphant in Game 12 on Monday , he will be enjoying a two-point lead over the 32-year-old Chinese Grandmaster as the scoreline will read 7-5 heading into the final ‘Rest Day’ of the 2024 Championship on Tuesday.

Impact Shorts

More Shorts

WWE SummerSlam 2025 Night 2 results: Cody Rhodes beats John Cena in wild title match

The Chennai native does not even have to win any of his remaining games to be crowned champion and avoid taking the event into the tie-breaks on 13 December. The first player to 7.5 points will be crowned the winner of the 2024 World Championship, and Gukesh currently needs exactly three draws to reach that magical number.

Also Read | How much prize money did D Gukesh earn after his victory in Game 11?

Gukesh, however, will be wary of the fact that Ding had defeated Ian Nepomniachtchi using white pieces at a similar stage of the World Championship in Astana last year, going on to defeat the Russian Grandmaster in the tie-breaks later in that event. A defeat in Game 12 will then require the Indian to win at least one of the two remaining games if he is to be crowned champion at the end of the Classical stage.