Indian teenager makes a comeback on day three after losing the opening game and drawing the second one against China’s reigning world champion in Singapore.
India’s Gukesh Dommaraju has won the third game of the ongoing World Chess Championship final against reigning world champion Ding Liren of China to tie the overall score at 1.5-1.5 in Singapore.
The 18-year-old Indian grandmaster won Wednesday’s game after putting his Chinese counterpart under pressure. As a result, Liren fell behind the clock and lost the game on the third day of the final.
Both grandmasters are now tied in the 14-game final, which will break for a rest day on Thursday, before the action resumes for Game 4 on Friday.
🇮🇳 Gukesh D WINS GAME 3 of the 2024 FIDE World Championship Match, presented by Google! #DingGukesh
Gukesh equalised the score of the match at 1.5-1.5!
📷 Eng Chin An pic.twitter.com/Oc9ZYO2NNf
— International Chess Federation (@FIDE_chess) November 27, 2024
“It feels great,” Gukesh said after the third game.
“The last two days I was happy with my play. My play today was even better, I feel good at the board and today I just managed to outplay my opponent which is always nice.”
Gukesh lost the opening game on Monday and admitted nerves got the better of him in his first world final against his 32-year-old opponent.
“For sure, I was nervous … it would be surprising if I said I wasn’t nervous, I was surely nervous,” Gukesh told reporters after the match.
“But after the game started, I calmed down … I think I was playing some good chess … and then I kind of flipped.”
The finalists drew the second game, on Wednesday, and head into the break on even terms.
At his age, Gukesh is the youngest player in history to challenge for the World Championship and he will hope to surpass Garry Kasparov as the youngest undisputed world chess champion.
There are 14 match days and four rest days scheduled for the world chess crown.
The first player to get 7.5 points will be declared the winner with tie-breaks scheduled if the players are tied on seven points after 14 games.
Gukesh has shot to stardom in cricket-mad India, with young and old fans following his run at the final at Singapore’s Resorts World Sentosa.