Haren
‘Cost of one game is higher now at World Chess Championship than it was before’: Gukesh says
Ding Liren and D Gukesh in action during the World Chess Championship Game 10. (FIDE/Eng Chin An)
At the World Championship, Ding Liren, incumbent crown-wearer and D Gukesh, audacious teenage challenger, are involved in a much more dangerous activity. The jenga tower of the World Chess Championship is getting increasingly unstable each time one more game ends in a draw and both players find themselves level on points. And with it, the players are getting more cautious, gingerly playing to avoid defeat.
Unsurprisingly then, for the seventh straight game at the 2024 World Chess Championship, Gukesh and Ding Liren agreed to a draw.
After the 36-move draw on Saturday, the prospect of tie-breaks appears increasingly likely. 10 games into this duel, both players are deadlocked at five points each. If there is no player who holds an advantage after four more games, the game will head into the tie-break, which is played in the rapid format. This will clearly suit Ding Liren, who had won the crown of the world champion in the first place by defeating Ian Nepomniachtchi last year in the rapid tie-break.
