Chess World Championship: D Gukesh bounces back, holds Ding Liren to draw in Game 2

FIDE Chess World Championship: Indian Grandmaster D Gukesh held defending champion Ding Liren to a draw in Game 2 with black pieces. Gukesh lost the opening game with white pieces on Monday in Singapore.

In Short

• D Gukesh holds defending champion Ding Liren for a draw with black pieces
• Gukesh lost the opening game of the World Championship match on Monday
• Gukesh said he is taking one game at a time in the big showdown in Singapore

Indian Grandmaster D Gukesh bounced back after a tough start to the World Championship, holding defending champion Ding Liren to a draw in Game 2 on Tuesday, November 26. Playing with black pieces, Gukesh and Liren played out a draw after a threefold repetition -- a rule that allows a player to claim a draw if the same position occurs three times during the game.

The youngest challenger for the World Championship title, D Gukesh, 18, was visibly relieved and elated after managing to avoid back-to-back defeats early in the 14-game championship match.

In the opening game of the World Championship match, Gukesh, playing with white pieces, squandered time advantage and slipped to a defeat. It as a big dampener to Gukesh as Ding Liren had been struggling for form in classical chess in the lead-up to the World Championship match. In fact, Liren's win on Monday was his first in a classical game after over 300 days.

"Draw with black in the world championship match is always nice and it’s too early, we still have a long match," Gukesh said after the second game in Singapore.

Liren did not press at all while Gukesh just followed the basics as the game ended in a draw via repetition soon after black had completed the 23rd turn. It was one of the quietest variation in the Italian opening as Liren probably did not want to rush things having grabbed a full point advantage in the first game itself..

Gukesh played down talks of pressure of being the youngest challenger and said he is focussed on one game at a time.

"There is obviously some pressure for anyone playing in a World Championship; there is a lot of pressure. But I also see it as a privilege that I can represent so many people and my country. And ya, it would be a very nice achievement, obviously, if I win the match. I am just focusing on one game at a time. Hopefully, things go my way," he added.

Gukesh, who will play with white on Wednesday, will be looking to get more aggressive and push Liren and close the one-point deficit.

Liren said he is ready for the fight: "I think it will be a big fight tomorrow - he’s a point down and he will have the white pieces, so I’m ready for a fight." (With Inputs from PTI)