Magnus Carlsen, the best player on the planet, has said young Indian challenger D Gukesh is no longer the favourite in the ongoing World Chess Championship match against reigning champion Ding Liren.

The Norwegian Super Grandmaster reached this conclusion after seeing Gukesh and Ding play out the sixth straight draw of the championship in Singapore on Thursday. The result keeps the scores tied at 4.5 points.

"We have finally arrived at a point where Gukesh is not a favourite in this match anymore. We have as pure a 50-50 match at this point," Carlsen said in his analysis show on 'take take take', an app he is promoting along with content creator Levy Rozman.

Gukesh could not capitalise on his superior positions in Games 7 and 8, while Game 9 also emerged equal from an early stage despite Gukesh playing with white pieces. After Game 6, Carlsen had pointed out that Gukesh missed a winning move.

In recent games, pundits have accused Gukesh of not pushing hard enough to find better moves even when he had more time on the clock. Carlsen couldn't agree more. "If Gukesh had been more vigilant or more accurate, he could have put Ding under pressure here," Carlsen said while looking at a particular position in Game 9.

"This is what he's done wrong. When Ding has little time, he has sort of forced Ding to play well," Carlsen said about the 18-year-old Indian. "It is easier to say in hindsight. But I think Gukesh could have done a little better to keep the tension in a position that is objectively drawn, but at the moment not completely equal. I think he made it a little too easy for Ding."

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D Gukesh (left) and Ding Liren during Game 9 of World Chess Championship in Singapore on Thursday. Photo: FIDE

'Running out of time'
In the five remaining classical games in the 14-game match, Ding can play white three times as against two for Gukesh. It is widely accepted that the player with white pieces has a slight advantage in terms of gaining an opening tempo.

Having played five world championships, Carlsen knows the value of even the minutest advantages. "Gukesh didn't pose him (Ding) any problems," Carlsen said about Game 9. "He (Gukesh) is running out of time. There are two white games left for him to put pressure on Ding.

"He converted the third game really well, but since then, he has not shown the consistency to convert his better positions," Carlsen said.

With a rating of 2831, Carlsen is the top-ranked player in the world, a position he has held since 2010. After winning five world championships in a row, Carlsen did not defend his title due to a lack of motivation. In his absence, Ding Liren (Elo rating: 2728) emerged as the champion in 2023, beating Ian Neopmniachtchi of Russia. He is on a mission to defend his crown in Singapore against India's Gukesh (Elo rating: 2783), who became eligible for the showdown after winning the Candidates Tournament.

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