Gukesh masters chaos to win Game 11, gets closer to becoming world champion
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D Gukesh has taken a step closer to becoming the youngest world chess champion by defeating Ding Liren in Game 11 to take a decisive lead (6-5) in the match on Sunday.
The 18-year-old Indian was brave, and found a favour from the hands of fortune as Ding, in his desperation to wriggle out of a precarious position, blundered, and resigned after 29 moves.
All Gukesh has to do is see out the remaining three games, in which he plays black twice, to become only the second world champion from India after the great Viswanathan Anand. Ding will play white in Game 12 on Monday.
Since Game 3, both players had rarely tried anything daring; they had ducked and dodged, just never landed a solid jab. But today, Gukesh arrived with his sleeves rolled up. It was a smart and intuitive opening choice from Team Gukesh that proved decisive.
Gukesh's aggressive pawn pushes on the queenside forced Ding into a deep think on move 4. He sat on it for 40 minutes, while Gukesh blitzed out his first nine in less than seven minutes. It appeared Gukesh had caught Ding off guard. But Grandmaster Anish Giri figured out that Ding had been in a similar position against Indian GM B Abhiban three years ago, and won. But each chess game is unique due to the pattern of moves, and not to mention the pressure of the occasion. Ding found himself on the back foot.
But like he has already done a few times in the match, Gukesh could not capitalise; he had cornered Ding but wasn't sure how to continue. Meanwhile, Ding found a way to even out the situation, as Gukesh too fell into the time scramble and made a few average-looking moves.
It was still chaotic on the board, with no room for error. Just then, on move 15, Ding erred for the first time. He made an innocuous pawn push (g6). Suddenly, Gukesh found a way back into the game. He seized the moment and built an attack on the queenside, by assembling his knight and a pair of rooks. Ding could not come up with a counterattack.
The onus was on Gukesh to find the optimum moves. But then Ding erred a second time, this time it was fatal. He made a simple queen move, from c7 to c8. That was a blunder and Gukesh spotted it. Ding stopped the clock, signalling his surrender.