Gukesh’s hopes could hinge on which Ding he faces
Hindustan TimesBengaluru: When Ding Liren blundered, resigned and walked away from the board after Game 11, he seemed a broken man. D Gukesh will face Ding Liren in the 13th game of the World Chess Championship 2024 on Wednesday. Their post-game analysis has had Ding walking us through his grim assessment of what were often playable, even advantageous positions while Gukesh seemed comfortably hopeful even in dangerous positions. On the night Ding struck back with a win Game 12 to level the match scores, Gukesh said that the “game is not a huge blow to my chances” while Ding surprisingly spoke of having made peace with the worst-case scenario. He’s essentially got one more game…There is a lot more pressure on Gukesh to push in the next couple of games than there is on Ding.” A lot of what happens next could be down to which Ding shows up.