D Gukesh knows now, fully, that the onus is now on him. World Champion Ding Liren has been contended to play out draws with white and test Gukesh’s defensive skill with black, but with tie-breaks looming, it’s time for Gukesh to take the initiative when he gets white. That’s because Ding is, simply put, a better rapid and blitz player.
The 2024 FIDE World Championship is now tied Ding 5 – 5 Gukesh, but Game 11 presents another opportunity for the young Indian to take the initiative and break the match wide open. The game starts at 2.30 PM IST (5 PM Singapore local) as ever, and we’ll have all of the action covered in our live blog right here below this.
After two nearly perfect games from both sides in games 9 and 10, what can we expect in 11? Will Ding push just that little bit more to test Gukesh, knowing his challenger will want to take a couple more risks? Will Gukesh actually be ready to take those risks — or will Veselin Topalov’s story prove a cautionary tale? (Afraid of tiebreaks against speed chess king Viswanathan Anand in their World Championship match, he pushed too hard in the match itself, overcommitted, and Anand ripped him apart).
With such a fine balance to be found, it’s no wonder that the players have upped their accuracy over the past couple of games, and with it the intensity of the match. Is an eight consecutive draw on the cards? Or will something give?Find out just how Gukesh and Ding fare in game 11 right here, on our live blog:
