World Chess Championship: D Gukesh satisfied with 'solid game' as he plays out a draw against Ding Liren in second round

India’s D Gukesh played out a draw against China’s Ding Liren in the second game of the 2024 World Chess Championship in Singapore on Tuesday, a day after the former began his campaign with a loss . The draw means Liren leads Gukesh 1.5-0.5 in the 14-game contest. In the first game of the World Chess Championship, Gukesh had begun on an aggressive note against Liren, but ran out of time in the end before surrendering to a defeat. It was a more balanced contest on Tuesday as Ding played with the white pieces whereas Gukesh played with black pieces.

As it happened | D Gukesh vs Ding Liren, World Chess Championship Game 2  

Ding began with an e4, wherein he moved the king pawn two steps up first, whereas Gukesh came up with an e5, with both of them going for the Italian Game. The Italian Game or the Giuco Piano, means quiet game. It indeed was a quiet game with neither Gukesh nor Liren taking any risks during the contest. The game lasted just 20 moves, after which Gukesh and Liren agreed to settle for a draw following a threefold repetition. A threefold repetition is when a game witnesses the same position three times.

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Gukesh had lost the first match with white pieces and will be back with the white pieces on Wednesday. Gukesh was satisfied with his performance on Tuesday. “Draw with black in the world championship match is always nice and it’s too early, we still have a long match,” he said at a press conference. “I think I will try to play a good game, because after all the only thing you can do to try and win is to play a good game,” he added.

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Gukesh satisfied with solid game 

Gukesh reiterated that he enjoyed a “solid game” with the black pieces. “I think after I was surprised in the opening, I reacted pretty decently, and I didn’t give him any chances. It was a solid game with black, which is nice,” he added. Polish Grandmaster Grzegorz Gajewski has played a vital role in guiding Gukesh.

“Gaju” [Grzegorz Gajewski] is not only helping me with chess, but also helping me get ready mentally and to keep my well-being. He said a few things which helped me recover quickly. Today was a good day and hopefully we will have many more good days coming," said the Chennai teenager.

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The 18-year-old is not thinking too far ahead and is focussing at one game at a time. “There is obviously some pressure for anyone playing in a World Championship; there is a lot of pressure. But I also see it as a privilege that I can represent so many people and my country. And ya, it would be a very nice achievement, obviously, if I win the match. I am just focusing on one game at a time. Hopefully, things go my way,” he stated.

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

Liren vows to put up a fight against Gukesh

Liren, on the other hand, is ready to put up a fight against Gukesh on Wednesday. “I think it will be a big fight tomorrow - he’s a point down and he will have the white pieces, so I’m ready for a fight,” said the 32-year-old. “In the first game I played something new in the opening and of course it requires a lot of memory. Today I also played not a common move [for me] 1.e4 and I prepared a lot,” he commented.

When asked how he unwinds after games, Liren said: “First, I’ll check the games and then maybe rest. Yesterday, I received a lot of messages because I won the first game, and then it was already time to sleep.”. The third game will be held in Singapore on Wednesday (27 November).