Liren vs Gukesh! Everything about World Chess Championship match starting Monday
18-year-old GM Gukesh is aiming to become the first Indian world champion since Vishy Anand.
18-year-old GM Gukesh is aiming to become the first Indian world champion since Vishy Anand.
18-year-old GM Gukesh is aiming to become the first Indian world champion since Vishy Anand.
Tomorrow, a three-week long battle to determine the world chess champion will begin in Singapore. China's Ding Liren could retain his title or India's D Gukesh will emerge the new world champion on December 13. Either way, the world champion will remain Asian as for the first time in 138 years the competitors are from this continent.
Should Gukesh, the 18-year-old from Chennai, triumph at the end of a 14-game classical battle with the option of tie-breakers against the 32-year-old Chinese, he'll become the first India since the legendary Viswanathan Anand to become a world champion.
“I wouldn't have been close to what I am now if it wasn't for Vishy sir,” Gukesh said on the eve of the opener. It isn't hard to see that Anand has inspired the Tamil Nadu youngster, like he has generations of other Indians. Five-time champion Anand's last shot at the world title came in Sochi exactly 10 years ago when he played Magnus Carlsen, and lost. If Gukesh wins, it could be considered a win for Anand too; a guru dakshina, if you like.
Norwegian Carlsen, who won the world title for five years in a row, chose not to defend his title last year and also opted out of the candidates tournament to decide the challenger for the upcoming event. In Carlsen's absence, it was the young Indian Gukesh, who stunned a strong field comprising American duo of Fabiano Caruana and Hikaru Nakamura and Russian Ian Nepomniachtchi, to win the Candidates tournament and become eligible for the title clash with Liren.
Gukesh's candidates win happened last December and he has not looked back since, by starring in India's recent gold medal-winning performance in the Chess Olympiad in Budapest. Nevertheless, Carlsen remains the world's highest-rated player.
Confident and respectful
“My job is pretty clear -- just go into every game as the best version of myself and play the best moves in the position. If I do that, if I keep playing good chess and stay in the right spirits, even with his recent form dip or even at his best, I don't think it really matters,” Gukesh said in the run-up to Sunday's opening game.
“If I do the right things, I'm confident I have all the chances in the world,” he said. Gukesh knows the spotlight will be on him; he didn't pretend to be not bothered by the weight of expectation, but is confident he can handle it.
“I won't say I am super calm. I know this is a big event, and I am super excited. But I also know I can handle any nerves. As long as I am confident in my skills, I don't have anything to worry about.”
Liren is aware of the opponent's potential and form. He showed great respect for the youngster and hopes the battle will be an epic one. “He is younger, but he displayed his virtue in many aspects. If we can both perform our best, it will be a great match,” Liren said.
Head to head
Gukesh is yet to win a Classical game against Liren, while the Chinese GM has had two victories besides a lone draw against the Indian in their three meetings.
Liren last beat Gukesh earlier this year at the Tata Steel Chess tournament in Wijk Aan Zee, The Netherlands. He beat Gukesh in the same event in 2023 also.
Liren's highest Fide rating was 2816, which made him the second highest-rated player in the world at the time. But now his rating has slumped to 2728, making him the number 23 on the list. He is the only reigning world champion outside the top 10 in recent decades.
Meanwhile, Gukesh, has a rating of 2783, which makes him world no. 5, and the second best Indian behind Arjun Erigaisi, who recently emulated Anand by crossing 2800 Elo points. Gukesh gained 37 rating points since last November with a peak rating of 2794, while Liren lost 52 points in the same period.
Games and time control
A draw of lot on the eve of the event has awarded Gukesh the white pieces for the first game. The world championship match consists of 14 classical games with a time control of 120 minutes per player for the first 40 moves and 30 minutes for the rest of the game, with a 30-second increment per move starting with move 41. Each win amounts to a point and a draw gets both players half-a-point (0.5). The player who gets to 7.5 points or more becomes the world champion and no further games will be played. The winner will receive the better part of the $2.5 million total prize fund. If the score after 14 games is equal, the winner is decided on a tiebreak.
Tie-breakers
The tie-breakers will start with four rapid games. Each rapid game will comprise of 15 minutes per player and a 10-second increment from move 1. The player who reaches 2.5 points or more first becomes the champion. If the scores are level after the rapids, a mini-match of two more rapid games are played with the time control reduced to 10 minutes per player and a 5-second increment starting with move 1. The player who gets to 1.5 points or more is declared the winner.
In case the score remains a tie again, then a mini-match of two blitz games (three minutes per player with 2-second increment) is played. Again, the player, who get to 1.5 points or more wins the title or the tie-breaker would continue with a one-off blitz match with the same time control. A draw of lots would decide who gets to play white in the first game. The one-off game with reversed colours would go on until a winner emerges.
How to watch
The match is hosted at a luxurious resort in Singapore and will be broadcasted live with expert commentary on the FIDE YouTube Channel. All games start at 17:00 local time (GMT+8) (Singapore is 2 hours and 30 minutes ahead of India). There are rest days after Games 3, 6, 9 and 12.