Gukesh is leading the World Chess Championship final 6-5 |Courtesy - FIDE
KEY HIGHLIGHTS
- Gukesh is leading 6-5
- Gukesh won the 11 match
- 8 of the 11 games have ended in a draw
After seven consecutive draws, the deadlock was finally broken in the 2024 World Chess Championship finals in the 11th game on Sunday (December 8) in Singapore as Gukesh sealed a memorable win to take a crucial 6-5 lead in the tie over defending champion Ding Liren.
The 11th game was an intense contest after Ding took about 39 minutes to ply his second move and another 22 minutes on the his 5th chance. Later, Gukesh took more than a hour (60 minutes 17 seconds) to complete his 11th move.
However, the 32-year-old crumbled under pressure with seven minutes on the clock, he made huge blunder on the 28th move. The Chinese star played a Qc8. Gukesh almost immediately noticed the error and took no time in sealing his victory with a capture (Qxc6) to seal the victory.
How Can Gukesh Seal World Chess Championship Title?
Gukesh is now in the driver's seat to seal the world championship title with a 6-5 lead with just three matches to go. The 12th, 13th, and 14th matches are scheduled on December 9 (Monday), December 11 (Tuesday), and December 12 (Wednesday), respectively.
To win the title, a player needs to reach the 7.5 mark. Gukesh will be crowned as the champion if he manages to win another game and play out another draw. Three draws will also seal the ultimate honor for the 18-year-old.
On the other hand, the pressure is on Ding now as he has to win at least one more match to win the title. Ding needs at least one win and two draws to ensure the game heads towards a tiebreak.
In this scenario, the match will head towards a rapid tiebreak scheduled for Friday (December 13).
In order to win the tie in the regular 14 games, Ding needs to win two of the remaining three games and ensure the third match is a draw.
Earlier, the 2023 champion took a 1-0 lead by winning the first match before a draw in the second. Gukesh leveled the tie with a victory in the third game before the two players played seven consecutive draws.
Gukesh is looking to create history by becoming the youngest world champion in history. If he manages to hold onto his lead, he will become the second Indian after Vishwanathan Anand to win the elusive title.
Get Latest News Live on Times Now along with Breaking News and Top Headlines from Chess, Sports and around the world.
