Ding Liren confident of beating D Gukesh in World Chess Championship: 'I will give it my best'

Defending world champion Ding Liren has vowed to give his best against India’s D Gukesh when the two face off at the upcoming 2024 World Chess Championship in Singapore. Ever since beating Ian Nepomniachtchi for the 2023 World Chess Championships title in April last year, Liren has not been in the best of form. He also recently shared his mental health struggles which forced him to take an extended break from playing chess, and returned in January this year at the Tata Steel Chess tournament.

“Life goes on as normal. I still stay at home; nothing has really changed. My chess career might not have gone so well in the last one and a half years, but I believe that there will be a turning point soon. I will give my best for this World Championship,” the Chinese player told the FIDE.

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The World Chess Championship will take place at Resorts World Sentosa in Singapore and will be a 14-game affair. Several chess grandmasters, including Hikaru Nakamura and Magnus Carlsen, have backed Gukesh to come good against Liren. In April this year, Gukesh won the prestigious FIDE Candidates tournament in Toronto which helped him qualify for the World Championship match against Liren.

Read |  Nakamura predicts winner of Gukesh vs Liren World Championship match

In September, the 18-year-old from Chennai played a crucial role in helping India win a historic gold in the Open category of the 45th Chess Olympiad in Hungary. Gukesh recently hired mental conditioning coach Paddy Upton ahead of the World Championship. Upton was pivotal in guiding India to the 2011 ODI World Cup title. Upton was also part of the support staff of the India men’s hockey team that won bronze at the Paris Olympics in August.

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Gukesh on Chess World Championship against Ding Liren: 'He'll come with right spirit and try his best'

Should Gukesh beat Liren in the World Chess Championship, he will become only the second Indian after the legendary Viswanathan Anand to win the coveted competition.