D Gukesh vs Ding Liren: World Chess Championship trailer ends in a lackluster draw at Sinquefield Cup
Gukesh's king nearly stepped on a banana peel after advancing a pawn to the d4 square on his 18th move. Ding failed to capitalize on this opportunity.
Arpit Pattnaik
The game was a trailer for the upcoming World Chess Championship, featuring reigning world champion Ding Liren and his teenaged challenger from India, D Gukesh. The match ended in a draw in the first round of the Sinquefield Cup in St Louis.
This was the first classical contest between Gukesh and Ding since the teenager secured his position as the Challenger to the World Champion’s crown. It’s likely to be their last battle in the classical format before the World Chess Championship. They had previously met only twice in classical contests, with Ding emerging victorious both times at the Tata Steel Masters in Wijk aan Zee.
Gukesh is currently ranked sixth in the world, while Ding has dropped to his lowest ranking since 2016 at 15th place. In fact, Gukesh surpassed Ding in the rankings in May this year.
Despite some tense moments, Gukesh managed to hold his ground. His king was almost in trouble after a pawn push to the d4 square in his 18th move, but Ding missed the opportunity to capitalize on it.
Gukesh took almost 22 minutes to contemplate his move before pushing his pawn to d4. The evaluation bar then signaled that Ding had the upper hand.
Grandmaster Peter Svidler, who is also Praggnanandhaa’s trainer, provided live analysis of the game, suggesting how Ding could put Gukesh’s king under pressure. He pointed out that Ding missed the opportunity to play queen h6 and subsequently made a move that cost him the advantage he had gained.
