D Gukesh vs Ding Liren: Indian GM trails in head-to-head but current form gives him the edge

Ding Liren is the reigning chess world champion but 18-year-old D Gukesh is seen as an overwhelming favourite for the upcoming World Chess Championship which will be played in a 14-classical game format at the Resorts World Sentosa in Singapore. If Gukesh wins the World Chess Championship, which begins on 25 November, he will become the second Indian after the legendary Viswanathan Anand to clinch the world title, and most importantly the youngest ever to do so.

Gukesh already holds the record for being the youngest challenger for the world chess title and won the FIDE Candidates earlier this year at a record age of 17. He will be up against Chinese grandmaster and 32-year-old Liren, who is the first from his country to become a chess world champion. Liren defeated Ian Nepomniachtchi in a tie-breaker in 2023 to win the World Chess Championship. However, the Chinses chess star hasn’t been in great form since winning the world title.

More from Sports

Chennai Grand Masters 2025: Vincent Keymer leads despite being held by Arjun Erigaisi in Round 6 Graphics: How Bodhana Sivanandan became the youngest female to defeat a Grandmaster

In fact, his last win in a classical game came in January 2024 when he defeated GM Max Warmerdam in the 12th round of the 2024 Tata Steel Chess in Wijk aan Zee.

D Gukesh vs Ding Liren head-to-head

Ding has an advantage here in the classical format, having won twice and drawn once in three matches. Their last match was a draw in the first round of the Sinquefield Cup in St Louis in August. Liren last defeated Guksh in Wijk aan Zeein in January 2024.

D Gukesh |  Indian teenage prodigy from Chennai set for World Chess Championship clash with Ding Liren

D Gukesh and Ding Liren’s recent form

We have already discussed how bad is Liren’s form but here are some more shocking numbers. The Chinese GM has played 79 classical games ever since the 2022 Candidates, winnings just 12, losing 17 and securing 50 draws. During the same period, Gukesh participated in 221 games, achieving 90 wins, 26 losses, and 105 draws. Ding’s performance during this time corresponded to a 2705 rating, with a loss of 78 rating points, whereas Gukesh performed at a 2759 level, gaining an impressive 99 rating points.

Liren, however, is a force to reckon with even if he’s out of form. His highest FIDE rating is 2816 which makes him joint 10th best of all time.

Also Read | Liren: Chinese GM who learnt chess from his mother and is gearing up to defend world title against D Gukesh

World Chess Championship 2024 Schedule (All matches will start at 2.30 PM IST)

Game 1 - November 25, 2024 - Monday
Game 2 - November 26, 2024 - Tuesday
Game 3 - November 27, 2024 - Wednesday

Rest Day - November 28, 2024 - Thursday

Impact Shorts

View All

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

Game 4 - November 29, 2024 - Friday
Game 5 - November 30, 2024 - Saturday
Game 6 - December 1, 2024 - Sunday

Rest Day - December 2, 2024 - Monday

Game 7 - December 3, 2024 - Tuesday
Game 8 - December 4, 2024 - Wednesday
Game 9 - December 5, 2024 - Thursday

Rest Day - December 6, 2024 - Friday

Game 10 - December 7, 2024 - Saturday
Game 11 - December 8, 2024 - Sunday
Game 12 - December 9, 2024 - Monday

Rest Day - December 10, 2024 - Tuesday

Game 13 - December 11, 2024 - Wednesday
Game 14 - December 12, 2024 - Thursday

Tie-breaks (If needed) - December 13, 2024 - Wednesday