World Chess Championship: D Gukesh laments 'tactical oversight' after loss to Ding Liren in first game

Indian Grandmaster D Gukesh admitted that he was not at his best after he went down to Ding Liren in the first game of the 2024 World Chess Championship in Singapore on Monday. Gukesh was coming to this contest on the back of a successful year so far, having won the 2024 Candidates tournament and guiding India to a historic gold medal at the 45th Chess Olympiad in Hungary.

The loss to Liren on Monday means that Gukesh remains winless in the classical format against the Chinese. Gukesh began the game with an aggressive approach after he moved up his king pawn in his opening move. Liren reacted to that by initiating the French Defense, and although the Chinese began on a slow note, he rediscovered his rhythm during the middle-game. Gukesh, towards the end, ran out of time which played a huge role in his defeat.

As it happened |  D Gukesh vs Ding Liren, World Chess Championship Game 1

Although Gukesh stated the reason behind his loss to Ding as a “tactical oversight”, the Chennai-born teenager is remaining calm and not pressing the panic button yet. “It was a tactical oversight by me. It can happen; it’s a long match. About my opponent’s form, I expected nothing else. I expected the best version of him, and we have a long match ahead, so it’s only more exciting now,” Gukesh said during a press conference after the first match.

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Liren had come into the first game with his last win in the classical format coming back in January 2024, when he had defeated Dutch Grandmaster Max Warmerdam at the Tata Steel Masters chess in Netherlands. Liren expressed satisfaction after his first classical win in over 300 days.

D Gukesh vs Ding Liren, World Chess Championship 2024 | Schedule, live streaming and prize money

“Of course, I feel very good. I haven’t won a single classical game for a long time, and today, I managed to do that. But this game, to be fair, was very lucky for me because I missed two tactics.”

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Liren had defeated Ian Nepomniachtchi in the 2023 World Chess Championship, but had come into the 2024 edition against Gukesh on the back of a poor form. Liren endured mental health struggles and even battled depression, but the win over Gukesh will certainly give him confidence going forward. Gukesh is yet to beat Liren in the classical format of chess, and Monday’s win over the Indian was Liren’s third. The two have also played out a draw previously.  The second match will be held on 26 November (Tuesday).