 "D Gukesh pressed on even after being offered a draw by Ding Liren in Game 6 of the World Chess Championship in Singapore. Image credit: FIDE")
D Gukesh and Ding Liren remain on level terms six games into the World Chess Championship in Singapore with the two players playing out a third consecutive draw in their latest meeting on Sunday. Gukesh and Ding thus remain level on 3 points out of a possible six a week into the World Championship at Resorts World Sentosa with a little under two weeks left in the event.
Sunday’s fixture witnessed reigning champion Ding, playing with white pieces, and 2024 Candidates winner Gukesh shake hands after 46 moves with a threefold repetition concluding the game and ensuring the two players walked away with half-a-point each.
What stood out in the game that began with a London System and was off to a frenetic start was Gukesh’s rejecting Ding’s offer for a draw in his 26th move. Ding had been trying to push for a draw via threefold repetion around that stage of the game, but Gukesh decided to press on in a display of attacking intent.
Despite losing both of their bishops and knights, both Gukesh and Ding managed to keep the game lively with their queens, which they had exchanged as early as the ninth game in the previous round on Saturday. However, once the two contestants went for a queen exchange in the 34th move, the game appeared headed in one direction.
Didn’t see the reason to take the draw: Gukesh
Speaking to reporters after the game, Gukesh opened up on his decision to reject Ding’s offer for a draw, saying he wanted to keep the game running for a while and “see what happened” instead of shaking hands in less than 30 moves.
“I thought I might be slightly worse out of the opening but I wasn’t even sure. But with the files open in front of his king I thought I would always have counterplay and I didn’t see a reason to take the draw repetition. Obviously, I wasn’t playing for a win, I just wanted to play a few more moves and see what happened,” said Gukesh, who is aiming to become only the second Indian to be crowned world chess champion after Viswanathan Anand.
Ding, who had defeated Ian Nepomniachtchi in the World Championship in Astana last year, admitted he had let the advantage “slip away at a critical moment” yet again and will be hoping to avoid that in the remainder of the best-of-14 series.
“I feel like I am letting my advantage slip away at a critical moment. I have to improve this in the following games,” said the 32-year-old Chinese Grandmaster.
Gukesh and Ding will next meet on Tuesday in Game 7 with Monday being the second ‘Rest Day’ of the ongoing championship.