World No. 1 Magnus Carlsen has said Indian challenger D Gukesh missed a winning trick in Game 6 of his World Chess Championship match against Ding Liren in Singapore on Sunday.

In his analysis of Game 6 on 'take take take', an app he is promoting, Carlsen pointed out that Gukesh could have turned the draw into a win in the end game with a gentle push of his King. Gukesh played 'e3' on move 36 after Ding played 'h4'. Instead, "Had Gukesh played Kg7, he would have won the game," Carlsen said.

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According to Carlsen, that alternate move would have given Gukesh an edge in the end game. A win for Gukesh would have given him the lead in the championship, which is now tied on 3 points each.

After the first six rounds produced four draws, most of which involved passive gameplay, Norwegian Super GM Carlsen hasn't found much excitement. "I don't think anybody landed any punches," Carlsen said. He added: "I will stand by what I said earlier, that Gukesh has generally not impressed me. Ding has probably done a little bit better than we thought."

Carlsen, who was the champion for five consecutive terms since 2013, decided to not defend his world title in 2023 due to lack of motivation. In his absence, China's Liren emerged the winner by defeating Russia's Ian Nepomniachtchi. India's 18-year-old GM Gukesh had earned his right to challenge Liren for the current world championship by winning the Candidates tournament.

Indian GM D Gukesh during a press conference at the FIDE World Chess Championship in Singapore. Photo: AFP/ Roslan Rahman
Indian GM D Gukesh during a press conference at the FIDE World Chess Championship in Singapore. Photo: AFP/ Roslan Rahman

The championship involves 14 classical games (120 minutes for 40 moves and 30 minutes plus a 30-second increment from move 41), and the first player to reach 7.5 points is declared the winner.

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