Teen challenger Gukesh Dommaraju of India holds reigning champ Ding Liren after first week of competitors.
The 2024 World Chess Championship is finely poised after defending champion Ding Liren and teenage challenger Gukesh Dommaraju performed out an exciting 46-move attract Singapore.
The rating is tied at three factors every after six video games, rounding off the primary week of the 14-game collection.
Monday might be a relaxation day, and play resumes on Tuesday.
Ding, a Chinese language grandmaster, began strongly on Sunday, placing his 18-year-old Indian challenger on the defensive.
However Dommaraju recovered to ship the match down right into a dramatic double-rook endgame with pawns strewn throughout the board.
A threefold repetition after 46 strikes from each gamers ended the sport in a draw after greater than 4 hours.
The Indian rejected an opportunity to finish the sport in a draw earlier regardless of being worse off on the board and practically paid for it.
“I simply thought there was nonetheless a variety of play left within the place, and I didn’t actually see a lot hazard for me,” Dommaraju informed reporters after the match.
“I wished to play an extended recreation than simply ending at that time.”
Ding, 32, who performed with the white items, admitted he had let his benefit slip at crucial moments.
“That’s what I ought to enhance within the subsequent couple of video games,” he stated after the match.
Ding defeated Dommaraju in recreation one on Monday earlier than their second encounter resulted in a draw. Dommaraju hit again by successful recreation three on Wednesday adopted by attracts in video games 4 and 5.
There are 14 match days, and the primary participant to get 7.5 factors is asserted the winner. Tie-breaks will happen if the gamers are tied on seven factors after 14 video games.
Dommaraju is the youngest participant in historical past to compete within the World Chess Championship, and he’s seeking to surpass Garry Kasparov because the youngest undisputed world chess champion.
He stated on Sunday that he was completely satisfied to have rebounded from his first-game loss however added there may be nonetheless an extended strategy to the end.
“We’re not even midway via the occasion,” he stated.
