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Liren and Gukesh Dommaraju He is no closer to a decision on his world cup after Thursday’s ninth game to draw six in a row after 54 moves and 3hr 56min, leaving the $2.5m competition at 4½-4½ with five games to go.
The 18-year-old challenger from Chennai, playing white, opted for the Catalan’s popular opening before a surprising first rise with 10 BC3, almost a novelty at the top level that prompted Dingo to spend almost twenty minutes of his response.
But the champion could easily spoil the initiative and clear the queen’s concentration in the middle of the gamer. He was drawing a handshake that almost took away the time of the queen and the pair of crows from the board in a quick fury (25 Qxc5 Qxb6 26 Qxb6 Raxb6 27 Rc6 Rxc6 28 Bxc6), although Gukesh worked out more than another hour. before the kings alone remained on the board for half a part.
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“I think it was a very close game from both sides,” Gukesh said afterwards. “Perhaps he didn’t have a sword on his back” [16] Ba5 and perhaps [20] Qb5.”
Ding entering the three-week match had gone 28 classic games without a contest, dropping to 23 in the world no and encouraged the odds to price him as about a 3-1 dog. But a bigger surprise in game 1 as by winning over blackdramatically finalizing a 304-day winless streak and delivering an open save in a match of rising intensity.
Game 2 23 moves were drawnBefore Gukesh roared with a win in Game 3. The the fourth, the fifth, the sixth, the seventh and 8 games they were peaceful among themselves.
“No one is clearly better in this competition, so it will be difficult to win,” said Ding.
The competition resumes on Saturday with Ding taking the silver medal in Game 9 following Friday’s rest. The first to reach seven and a half points will be declared the champion at Resorts World Sentosa, an island off the southern coast of Singapore.
“It has been a very interesting match so far,” said Gukesh. “A few chances fell out for me, a few chances fell out for him. We show both aggressive and entertaining chess players. Five more exciting games to go.”