Ding, Gukesh battle a 'dead draw' until only Kings were left on board in Game 9
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Game 9 of the World Chess Championship in Singapore sprung a surprise on Thursday. The surprise wasn't the outcome, which happened to be a 54-move draw, the sixth in a row in the match, leaving the reigning champion, Ding Liren and the challenger, D Gukesh, level on 4.5 points each.
The real shock was seeing the two Super Grandmasters pretending to somehow discover a winning pattern out of a position that was a dead draw after about 27 moves. Yet, both Ding and Gukesh dragged it 27 moves further and shook hands only until all that was left on the board were two Kings.
Grandmaster Anish Giri, who was analysing the game on chess24, was convinced the game was heading toward a draw just after 24 moves. Just as the former World No. 3 had predicted, both players were devoid of any apparent winning chances after the queens had been exchanged. Ding was left with a knight against a bishop on Gukesh's end. The two also had a rook apiece and four pawns each on the kingside.
The only thing prohibiting the two players from casually shaking hands on a draw was FIDE. According to the rules set by the world chess body, players are not allowed to agree upon a draw until at least 40 moves are played. So, it was understandable when the two decided to play along.
It was ironic in one sense, as in all recent draws, the 32-year-old Ding had not wasted an opportunity to sign the peace treaty. He initiated draws by threefold repetition on three occasions. "I just wanted to play chess," Gukesh famously said two days ago when asked why he ignored a draw offer.
But in Game 9, Ding was surprisingly out of character, as it was he who tried to drag the game on as much as possible. The players will take a break on Friday and return for Game 10 the next day, with Ding playing white.