Battle of attrition continues as Gukesh and Ding draw Game 8 in world championship match

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By Mayank Agnihotri

Indian GM D. Gukesh and defending champion Ding Liren played out a fifth straight draw in the World Chess Championship in Singapore on Wednesday.

Indian GM D. Gukesh and defending champion Ding Liren played out a fifth straight draw in the World Chess Championship in Singapore on Wednesday.

There has been no decisive result since Game 3. But nobody is complaining. Ding Liren and D. Gukesh are playing some exciting chess in their World championship match here in this small island of Sentosa.

The eighth game was drawn on Wednesday (December 4, 2024). So, after the fifth straight draw, the score is 4-4 at World Resorts Sentosa. The one who moves to 7.5 points will be the champion. Six games of classical chess remain.

Game 8 may not have lasted as long as Game 7 – it was a five-and-a-half-hour thriller and 72 moves were made – but there was plenty of action. As in the seventh game, Gukesh had an excellent opportunity to force a win, but as in the seventh game, he missed.

Ding showed his resourcefulness yet again and even had his younger rival in trouble. But, Gukesh defended well enough. He also showed his willingness to strive hard, letting go of the chance for an easier draw, which he could have got by choosing three-fold repetition. He had done the same thing in the sixth game.

The eighth game saw the English Opening, but Gukesh seemed to be prepared for it, as he played his moves quickly. White, on the other hand, needed much more time to respond. At one stage, he had to make some 21 moves in 33 minutes, while Gukesh had more than an hour.

The Chennai lad could be ruining his 26th move, though. He missed the opportunity to create a potentially winning position by taking the wrong knight to the ‘c5’ square. Now his advantage had disappeared, and just two moves later, following an unwise bishop move, the tables turned.

It was now Ding who could put Gukesh under real pressure, but he too erred with a knight move. He maneuvered the knight to the wrong square, ‘d4’, instead of the ideal ‘e1’. He may have gone an exchange up, but gone was the chance for a possibly decisive advantage.

On the 41st move, Gukesh averted the three-fold repetition with a queen check. His decision to avoid a draw and play on was met with cheers by the audience watching the action on the big screen from the fan zone, but it took most people by surprise. American Grandmaster Maurice Ashley, who moderates the press conference, admitted he had begun making his way to the media room and had to retreat.

The game, however, was drawn 10 moves later, after the queens were exchanged, and an ending featuring opposite-colored bishops.

Moves:

1. c4 e5 2. Nc3 Bb4 3. Nd5 Be7 4. Nf3 d6 5. g3 c6 6. Nxe7 Nxe7 7. Bg2 f6 8. OO Be6 9. b3 d5 10. Ba3 OO 11. Rc1 a5 12. Ne1 Re8 13. f4 exf4 14. Rxf4 dxc4 15. bxc4 Ng6 16. Re4 Na6 17. Nc2 Qc7 18. Nd4 Bf7 19. d3 Ne5 20. Nf3 Nd7 21. Rxe8+ Rxe8 22. Rb1 b5 23. cxb5 Qb6+ 24. Kf1 cxb5 25. Bb2 Bxa2 26. Bd4

26… Nac5 27. Rc1 Bb3 28. Qe1 Be6 29. Qf2 Rc8 30. Be3 Rc7 31. Nd4 Bf7 32. Nc6 Rxc6 33. Bxc6 Qxc6 34. Bxc5 h6 35. Ke1 b4 36. Qd4 Ne5 37. Kd2 Qg2 38 Qf2. Qd5 39. Qd4 Qg2 40. Qf2 Qd5 41. Qd4 Qa2+ 42. Rc2 Qe6 43. Qd8+ Kh7 44. Qxa5 b3 45. Rc1 Qd5 46. Qb4 Qg2 47. Qe4+ Qxe4 48. dxe4 b2 49. Rb1 Ba2 50. Rxb2 Nc4+ 51. Kc3 Nxb2.

Game drawn.

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