Gukesh Defeats Defending Champion Liren in the World Championship for the First Time

In the World Chess Championship, Indian Grandmaster D Gukesh defeated reigning champion Ding Liren for the first time, outplaying him in the third round to tie the score on points here on Wednesday.

Now, each of the two players has 1.5 points. After 37 moves and excellent opening preparation, the 18-year-old Indian outwitted the Chinese and prevailed in a winning position.

Spending a lot of time in the game’s initial phase cost Liren dearly.

Liren had taken an hour and six minutes to make his moves, whereas Gukesh had an hour on the clock by the thirteenth move. The Indian had only taken four minutes.

The intricate middle game had the desired effect on Liren, and Gukesh was unrelenting in his search for some challenging yet ideal plays to up the ante. Liren had 40 moves to make in the first 120 minutes of the game, with no increment.

In a fast game against the top-ranked Indian Arjun Erigaisi, Gukesh adopted a strategy used by former Russian world champion Vladimir Kramnik, and the players adopted a considerably less popular variation of the popular Queen’s Gambit.