The World Chess Championship 2024 was a chess match between the reigning world champion Ding Liren and the challenger Gukesh Dommaraju to determine the World Chess Champion. The match took place between 25 November and 12 December 2024 in Singapore. It was played to a best of 14 games, with tiebreaks if required.[1] The match was won by Gukesh 7½–6½ after 14 games. The win made Gukesh, at age 18, the youngest undisputed world champion; Ruslan Ponomariov was slightly younger when he won the divided 2002 FIDE World Chess Championship.
Ding won two games and Gukesh won three. The 14th and final game ended with Gukesh winning the game and match with the black pieces after Ding resigned following a blunder that allowed Gukesh to simplify the position to a winning king and pawn versus king endgame.[2]
Ding's return to chess introduced a rough stretch of form, with a set of poor performances at the 2024 Tata Steel Masters, Norway Chess, and the Grenke Chess Classic.[7] Ding's rating fell from 2788 (at the time of the World Chess Championship 2023) to 2728, while his world ranking fell from world number 3 to world number 23. His poor results led several chess grandmasters to express concern about Ding's overall ability to defend his world championship title, notably Fabiano Caruana, Magnus Carlsen and Hikaru Nakamura.[8][9][10] However, while acknowledging Ding's weakened physical condition during the 2024 Sinquefield Cup, Anish Giri highlighted Ding's improved chess level during the first half of the tournament.[11] Ding's opponent in the 2023 match, Ian Nepomniachtchi, also remarked on Caruana's podcast that Ding would be a clear favorite if he were in prime form.[12]
Reflecting on his poor form in an interview during the 45th Chess Olympiad, Ding admitted that Gukesh is "playing extremely well in this tournament. Maybe he is a favorite in the World Championship Match. He also has a higher rating than me". Ding also remarked "[I have] dropped a lot since last year, but I will fight my best to try to overcome the rating difference".[13]
Tie-breakers for first place: (1) results in tie-break games for first place;
Tie-breakers for non-first place: (1) results in tie-break games for first place, if any; (2) Sonneborn–Berger score (SB); (3) total number of wins; (4) head-to-head score among tied players; (5) drawing of lots.[26]
Note: Numbers in the crosstable in a white background indicate the result playing the respective opponent with the white pieces (black pieces if on a black background). This does not give information which of the two games was played in the first half of the tournament, and which in the second.
Championship match
Organisation
Bids were originally to be presented to FIDE no later than 31 May 2024.[27] Early interest was expressed in June 2023 by Argentina, India, and Singapore.[28]
In June 2024, FIDE CEO Emil Sutovsky announced that FIDE had received three bids to host the championship, two from India (Chennai and New Delhi), and one from Singapore.[29][30] In July 2024, FIDE announced that the match would take place in Singapore from 20 November to 15 December 2024, with four venues being considered.[31][32] Ultimately, the Singapore Chess Federation revealed that the Equarius Hotel at Resorts World Sentosa was chosen as the venue to host the world championship match.[33] The main sponsor of the event was Google.[34][35]
The prize fund allocated for the event is US$2.5 million.[36] Each player receives US$200,000 for each game won (including forfeits), and the remainder of the money is split equally. If there is a tiebreak, however, the winner will receive US$1.3 million and the loser will receive US$1.2 million. That would also have been the distribution if the final score was 7½–6½ with 13 decisive games or 8–6 with 14 decisive games.[37]
The first move of each classical game was ceremonially performed by guests invited by the organizers:
The regulations and format of the world championship are slightly different from the 2023 edition.[37]
The time control for each game in the classical portion of the match is 120 minutes per side for the first 40 moves and 30 minutes for the rest of the game, with a 30-second increment per move starting with move 41.
The match will be best of 14 games; a score of at least 7½ would win the world championship. If the score is equal after 14 games, tiebreak games with faster time controls will be played:
A match consisting of 4 rapid games with 15 minutes per side and a 10-second increment starting with move 1 would be played. If a player scores 2½ points or more, he would win the championship.
If the score is still equal, a mini-match of two rapid games would be played, with 10 minutes per side and a 5-second increment starting with move 1. If a player scored 1½ points or more, he would win the championship.
If the score is equal after the rapid portion, a mini-match of two blitz games would be played, with a time control of 3 minutes per side and a 2-second increment starting with move 1. If a player scored 1½ points or more, he would win the championship. A drawing of lots would take place before each mini-match to decide which player plays with the white pieces.
If the blitz mini-match is tied, a single blitz game with a time control of 3 minutes per side and a 2-second increment starting with move 1 would be played, and the winner would win the championship. A drawing of lots would decide which player plays with the white pieces. If this game was drawn, another blitz game with reversed colors would be played with the same time control, and the winner would win the championship. This process is repeated until either player wins a game.
Prior to the match, Ding and Gukesh had played against each other three times at classical time controls. Ding won two games with the black pieces during the 2023 and 2024 editions of the Tata Steel Chess Tournament,[53][54] while their most recent pre-championship game during the 2024 Sinquefield Cup resulted in a draw.[55]
A poll of various grandmasters before the match began found Gukesh a substantial favorite, mainly because of Ding's poor form over the past couple of months.[57] In an October 2024 interview, Gukesh commented that he generally did not "believe in predictions and who are the favorites", and stated that he tried to "be at [his] best every day and play a good game".[58]
The games began at 17:00 local time (SGT), which is 14:30 (IST) & 09:00 UTC.[37]
Colors were drawn at the opening ceremony. Gukesh received the white pieces for the first game.[65] Colors alternate thereafter, with no switching at the halfway point.[37]
Date
Event
Saturday, 23 November
Media day, opening ceremony, and technical meeting
Sunday, 24 November
Rest day
Monday, 25 November
Game 1
Tuesday, 26 November
Game 2
Wednesday, 27 November
Game 3
Thursday, 28 November
Rest day
Friday, 29 November
Game 4
Saturday, 30 November
Game 5
Sunday, 1 December
Game 6
Monday, 2 December
Rest day
Tuesday, 3 December
Game 7
Wednesday, 4 December
Game 8
Thursday, 5 December
Game 9
Friday, 6 December
Rest day
Saturday, 7 December
Game 10
Sunday, 8 December
Game 11
Monday, 9 December
Game 12
Tuesday, 10 December
Rest day
Wednesday, 11 December
Game 13
Thursday, 12 December
Game 14
Friday, 13 December
Closing ceremony
Tie-breaks were initially scheduled for 13 December, in which case the closing ceremony would have been held on 14 December.[37] Since tie-breaks proved unnecessary, the closing ceremony was moved ahead to 13 December.[66] There were likewise plans to move it forward if the match had concluded in less than fourteen games.[37][67]
Position after 21...Qd3. Gukesh had planned 22.Qf4, before noticing that this move allows 22...g5! 23.Qg3 Qxg3 24.Bxg3 0-0 intending ...Bd8–b6, giving Black the better endgame. Nonetheless, this was still preferable to Gukesh's 22.Qe1? Although this move defends the c3-pawn, White's passive pieces give an overwhelming advantage to Black.[68]
The first game of the match, a 42-move win for Ding, was played on 25 November. Ding surprised observers by playing the French Defense, which has traditionally been considered a "solid" opening, but some lines are quite combative.[clarification needed] Ding had previously played it in game 7 of the World Chess Championship 2023 against Ian Nepomniachtchi.[69] He then spent 28 minutes thinking on move seven while in a still relatively well-known position. Meanwhile, Gukesh was still in his preparation, blitzing out the attacking novelty 10.g4!? Ding's 10...Qa5, however, took Gukesh out of his preparation as Xie Jun believed "they haven't played this line before. They analyzed, they prepared, and they probably knew the plans, but this is the first time they gave it on the board. It's a very complicated position – the way they played is a little bit out of control."[38]
Down on the clock in a complicated middlegame, Ding quickly spotted 18...Nb2! with queenside play, putting pressure on both Gukesh's position and his clock. With Ding's pieces infiltrating his position, Gukesh faltered with 22.Qe1? and his position crumbled. Ding made a slight inaccuracy with 27...fxe6?! (correct was 27...Bxe6!), allowing Gukesh to salvage the game, but although Gukesh spotted the idea, he executed incorrectly. Ding made no further errors and converted his advantage to a win, his first in classical chess since he defeated Max Warmerdam in January during the Tata Steel Chess Tournament 2024.[38][68] This also marked the first time in 14 years that a win was registered in Game 1, after Veselin Topalov defeated Viswanathan Anand with the white pieces during the World Chess Championship 2010.[70]
At the post-game press conference, Ding was elated with his performance, stating, "Well, of course I feel very good—I haven't won a single classical game for a long time and I managed to do that!" Gukesh on the other hand remarked, "It was just a tactical oversight by me. It can happen, it's a long match, and about my opponent's form, I think I expected nothing else. I expected the best version of him, and we have a long match ahead, so it's only more exciting now!"[68]
Position after 10.dxc4. Gukesh can win material with 10...Bb4!? 11.Nd5 Nxe4, when 12.Qd3! Nc5 13.Qf5 Ne6 leads to complicated play. Gukesh also had the option to play 10...Bxe3, doubling and isolating White's pawns on the e-file, leading to a balanced but nuanced position. Ding's previous World Championship opponent, Ian Nepomniachtchi, expected the latter and was surprised Gukesh opted for 10...0-0.[71]
The second game of the match, a 23-move draw, was played on 26 November. After Ding opted for the traditional Giuoco Pianissimo, commentator David Howell expressed surprise at the choice of 1.e4, noting that "He rarely employs the king's pawn openings until the last few months, when he has been experimenting a bit with it – he doesn't seem like a natural e4 player to me, but here we are!"[39] Ding chose a quiet line, but offered Gukesh complicated play with 10.dxc4, inviting 10...Bb4!?. Aware that he was facing preparation, Gukesh declined. In a balanced position, Ding had a slight opportunity to play on with 20.h4, creating less space for his opponent, but the position would have remained even. Ding instead chose to repeat moves, resulting in a draw.[71]
At the post-game press conference, Gukesh stated, "This early, with Black, was nowhere close to a must-win. I was never going to do anything stupid." Ding made comments to the same effect, remarking that "I was feeling a little up and down. I was slightly worse in the middle game. I thought I had misplayed."[72]
The third game of the match, a 37-move win for Gukesh, was played on 27 November. Gukesh opted for a Queen's Gambit Declined with an early cxd5. In the opening, Ding intentionally got his bishop trapped with 10...Bc2. The game followed a previous game between Vladimir Kramnik and Arjun Erigaisi played in the World Rapid Team Championship 2023 until Ding's 13...Nbd7! After 14.Nd2 threatening to win Black's bishop with Rc1, Ding played 14...Rg8!, threatening ...g5 which counterattacks White's bishop and creates an escape for Black's. Gukesh responded by playing g5 himself, and both players believed the position to be good for White, but computer analysis suggests otherwise. Ding's 18...Rh5 was a mistake, leading to a sequence where Ding loses a bishop for two pawns; it was preferable to retreat the bishop immediately with 18...Bf5, or fight for the advantage with 18...Be7!. Gukesh re-trapped the bishop with 19.e4! and went on to precisely convert his advantage. Ding lost on time while executing his final move 37...Rh5, but his position was lost anyway (38.Bxf5! wins).[73]
Position after 15...b6. Ding should not play the natural-looking 16.f4, because 16...Nc4! gives Black a much better position (White can't win the seemingly free pawn because after 17.Bxc4 dxc4 18.Qxc4 c5 19.bxc5 bxc5 20.Nf3, Black has 20...Bd3 forking White's queen and rook). Computer analysis suggests White has minute winning chances after 16.Ba6 Rc7 17.f4 Ng6 (17...Nc4 no longer works because of 18.Bxc4 dxc4 19.Qxc4 c5 20.Ncb5! attacking the rook), but Ding went for the drawing move 16.Nf3.[64]
The fourth game of the match, a 42-move draw, was played on 29 November. Ding played an unconventional system beginning with 1.Nf3, resembling a Queen's Indian Defense with colors reversed , which surprised Gukesh but was not particularly aggressive. At the post-game press conference, Ding revealed that he intended to "play it safe", but that he took some risk with 11.b4. Gukesh's 13...Ne5!? took Ding by surprise since the knight can be easily kicked out with f4, but Gukesh believed that, "[f4] looked like a move which would turn out to be risky in the long run". Gukesh's 15...b6 was Ding's last chance to push for a win with 16.Ba6, but after he played 16.Nf3, the game was headed for a draw. Pieces were traded and the two ended up in a queen-and-rook endgame where White has a four-on-three majority on the kingside , and Black has a passed pawn on the c-file. Despite the result being all-but-inevitable, Gukesh continued to play out the game and pose questions for Ding, notably with 30...f5!?. Shortly thereafter, however, the two made a draw by threefold repetition.[64]
The fifth game of the match, a 40-move draw, was played on 30 November. For the second time in the match, Ding played a French Defense. This time, however, Gukesh responded by exchanging the pawns on d5, and quickly traded off the queens and one pair of rooks. After Ding's 15...Nh5, Gukesh's dark-squared bishop had nowhere to escape, prompting Gukesh to play 17.g4!? after giving a check, which grandmaster Judit Polgár believed to be too risky. Nonetheless, the game seemed to be headed towards a draw, until Gukesh quickly played 23.dxe5? (a mistake, because after 23...Nd3 24.Bxd3 cxd3, Black has a passed pawn on the d-file two moves away from queening ). In the post-game press conference, Gukesh revealed, "Once I saw Nd3 I realized I just blundered with dxe5. I didn't know how bad it was, really, but of course I should have played Rxe5. It would have been a draw anyway, but dxe5 Nd3 I kind of just hallucinated." Ding, however, was apparently unaware that he had a considerable advantage.[74] As a result, he did not press very hard, and after 29...Bc6 (which Ding called "basically a draw offer"), Gukesh was able to stop the pawn and the players agreed to a draw.[75]
Position after 17.Nc4. Here, Gukesh intended to exchange the knight on c4 by playing the slightly inaccurate move 17...Be6!?. While Peter Leko believed that 17...Qg2 was a better move, it was one that he believed would have "simply not cross your mind". Alternatively, Anish Giri felt that Gukesh forgot in his preparation to play the move 17...Qf3!, and that by moving the bishop he put himself in a worse position. Despite Gukesh acknowledging this, he felt the move was hard to convert with White.[76]
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Position after 33...Qf3. Here, Ding should avoid the exchange of queens and play 34.Qg5!, leaving his heavy pieces better placed than Gukesh's. Instead, he played 34.Kc2?!, allowing Gukesh to trade queens and get a passed pawn, which Ding called, "not such a good move" in the post-game press conference.[76]
The sixth game of the match, a 46-move draw, was played on 1 December. Ding played the London System, an opening he won with in the sixth game of his previous match against Ian Nepomniachtchi. In the post-game press conference, Ding reflected on his opening choice: "This time, I tried to push for an advantage in the opening, and this London. Last time, also in game six, I won a beautiful game in the London, so this time I wanted to repeat that success." The opening was considered a success for Ding, and Gukesh made an early inaccuracy with 17...Be6 (see first diagram). Gukesh commented, "I never really felt in danger because I thought once I take on c4... maybe I'm slightly worse, but it should be really hard to convert it with White because you can't really push the queenside pawns that easily and you always have some play on his king." Ding had an early time advantage in the opening, but lost it after his 42-minute think before playing 21.Qxc6.
After Gukesh's 21...Qxe5, the players repeated the position twice, and Gukesh had the option to make a draw by threefold repetition by playing 26...Qe7!. Instead, he played 26...Qh4!?, declining the draw and accepting a slightly worse position. In the post-game press conference, Ding commented, "Qh4 came as a total surprise because I think his queen is not so well placed on the kingside; it's better placed on the queenside", while Gukesh explained his decision, "I thought I might be slightly worse, I was not even sure fully if I'm slightly worse, but I thought it's more likely, but I thought with the files open in front of his king I always have counterplay, and I saw no reason to take a repetition right now." Ding responded well to Gukesh's draw rejection, and Peter Leko believed his decision might have been "a huge mistake" and called the move "psychological games". Gukesh denied such, stating, "I just like playing chess! It was more just the position than it was psychological. I just thought there was a lot of play left in the position, and I did not really see too much danger for me." Later in the game, Ding accumulated a slight advantage, which reached its peak after Gukesh offered a queen trade with 33...Qf3 (see second diagram), but Ding responded incorrectly, and the game went on to end with a draw by repetition.[76]
Position after 43...Ne4. Pushing the passed pawn with 44.h4! leads to a winning rook endgame after exchanging White's bishop for Black's knight, but Gukesh instead played the more natural 44.Ke1?!.[77]
The seventh game of the match, a 72-move draw, was played on 3 December. It turned out to be a thrilling effort by both players. Out of a Neo-Grünfeld Defence, Gukesh played the new move 7.Re1, which introduced a completely new idea to theory. Ding reacted poorly with 9...c5?!, and Gukesh gained both a strong position and a significant time advantage. Under serious pressure, Ding went for the queen maneuver Qa6xa2, which GM Anish Giri assessed as the desperation of a player who knows they are losing, but wants to at least grab some material before losing. Although Gukesh was clearly winning, Ding's active queen posed problems, and after 30.Qf4?! Ding was able to steer the game to a worse-but-tenable endgame. After the strong defensive move 34...Ng6! it seemed like Ding would save the position, but one move before the time control and with seven seconds left on the clock, Ding played 40...Ke5?, again giving Gukesh a winning position that was however difficult to win. After the human move 44.Ke1?! Ding found the deep resource 44...f6. Gukesh's 45.h4?! was a subtle inaccuracy, and following 46...f4! Ding had equalized the position. Gukesh still had practical winning chances, but Ding defended successfully to draw.[77]
Many commentators later praised this game, with several calling it the best game of the match.[78][79][80][original research?]
Position after 24...cxb5. Ding's 25.Bb2?, intending Bd4 then Ra1, sacrifices the a2-pawn for tactical compensation. However, Ding had missed that Black does not have to move the queen (25...Bxa2 26.Bd4 Qb8 27.Ra1! is fine for White). Instead, 26...Ndc5!, removing the d7-knight from potential Bh3 tactics, is winning.[81]
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Position after 30...Rc7. White has a decisive advantage according to the computer, but the winning move – 31.Ne1!! (blocking the back rank such that a potential ...Rxc1 does not come with check) intending d4 to win material – was not easy to find.[81] Kibitzing GM Matthew Sadler said that without engine assistance, he would have thought Black is obviously winning.[82]
The eighth game of the match, a 51-move draw, was played on 4 December. Gukesh responded well to Ding's 1.c4, and put Ding in unfamiliar territory with 7...f6!?. The position was objectively equal, but Peter Leko believed Ding to be in "not a pleasant situation", facing an imbalanced position Gukesh was well-prepared for. Ding appeared to have made it out of the opening, albeit with a time disadvantage. That changed with 22.Rb1?, which allowed Gukesh to gain an advantage with 22...b5 23.cxb5 Qb6+ 24.Kf1 cxb5. Ding's position went from bad to worse with 25.Bb2?, allowing Gukesh to get two connected passed pawns on the queenside with 25...Bxa2. Gukesh quickly lost most of his advantage with 26...Nac5?! (26...Ndc5! was best). Gukesh explained that he thought Ndc5 "looked weird", and that he missed Ding's defensive resource 28.Qe1! (only evaluating the position after 28.Qd2?, which loses for White). Gukesh explained, "It was actually very impressive that my opponent found this Qe1 so quickly—so yes, great defense by him!" Qe1 not only allowed White to save the game, but gave White the chance to put pressure on Black. After Gukesh's 28...Be6?, Ding himself got an advantage, and eventually found himself up a rook for a knight and a pawn. Neither player, however, was aware that White was ever winning. In the post-game press conference, Gukesh stated, "I thought probably all my advantage is gone, but I did not think it was even bad for me. Now that I see the position it's quite obvious, but during the game it was not", whereas Ding stated, "In the last world championship, also one game he was winning at some point and then suddenly I'm winning at the end. But today during the game I didn't realize I was winning at some point. I think he missed some important details that let me get back into the game. Before that he was totally outplaying me, again." Due to his misevaluation, Ding began to make a draw by repetition, which was broken by Gukesh's 41...Qa2!? despite White having a better position. Gukesh reflected on this decision, "I didn't think I was in much danger. I always thought with his weak king and my strong pawn on b3 I should have play. I thought even I might have some chances, but okay, it was just a misjudgment of the position." The game continued with little challenge for either player, and they agreed to a draw after reaching an opposite-colored bishops endgame.[81]
The ninth game of the match, a 54-move draw, was played on 5 December. As in game 3, Gukesh opened with 1.d4 and Ding responded with 1...Nf6 also seen in game 3. Rather than continuing with 2.Nf3 as seen in game four, Gukesh opted for the more popular 2.c4 and the game developed in a Catalan Opening after 2...e6 and 3.g3. Ding chose a line similar to the Retreat Variation of the Bogo-Indian Defense with 3...Bb4+ and 4...Be7, also employing the Closed Catalan structure with 7...c6 and 8...Nbd7. Gukesh maintained a slight advantage and pleasant position out of the opening until 20.Qb5?! which allowed Ding to equalize and trade off pieces into a draw.[citation needed]
Position after 13...Bxf6. Ding's 14. Qxd8 followed by 15. Bxf6 was effectively a silent draw offer (Peter Leko).
The tenth game of the match, a 36-move draw, was played on 7 December. An uneventful game, Ding achieved nothing out of the opening. When he further agreed to trade off pieces it became clear that he was happy with a draw. The result was never in question, with commentators opining that if not for the rule that prohibited draw offers before move 40, the players could have agreed to a draw long before the game actually ended.[83]
Position after 21.Na3. White cannot defend the pawn on b6, but has strong pressure on the a8–h1 diagonal as compensation. If White gets in Qxb7, then the c4-pawn could become a dangerous passed pawn.
The eleventh game of the match, a 29-move win for Gukesh, was played on 8 December. Gukesh confused his preparation to fall into a poor position, but Ding underestimated his chances and failed to capitalize. A highly complicated game resulted in which both players committed several inaccuracies. The position was still complicated when Ding blundered his knight with 28...Qc8??, ending the game abruptly and allowing Gukesh to take the lead for the first time.[84]
Position after 17.Qd2. Having played 16...Nd7 to target Ding's backward pawn on d3 with 17...Nc5, Gukesh instead played 17...Bg6?! which allowed Ding to gain a sizable advantage with 18.d4!.[49][85] Gukesh realized too late that his intended 18...exd4? loses to 19.Bf4! with significant challenges for Black.[86]
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Position after 22.Ne2. In a bad position, Gukesh has one last chance to seek counterplay with 22...Na5 threatening ...Nb3 or taking on c4. Kibitzing GM Magnus Carlsen opined that Black absolutely has to go for it even if it objectively does not save the game, since the game continuation 22...Bg5 23.Nf4 Bxf4 24.Bxf4 (hitting the c7-pawn) is equivalent to resigning.[85]
The twelfth game of the match, a 39-move win for Ding, was played on 9 December. In one of his best-ever games, Ding played with computer-like accuracy to "roll over" (Hikaru Nakamura) his opponent.[85] Opting for the English opening, the game followed a previous game played in 2019 between Ding's seconds Ni Hua and Richárd Rapport up until move 7.[87] Gukesh made some hesitant moves – 13...Rb8 apparently intended ...Nd4, which was not played; 16...Nd7 apparently intended ...Nc5, which was also not played[85] – and Ding's advantage grew into a large one. After Gukesh's 17th move, chess engine Leela Chess Zero gave Ding's winning chances as having increased from 38.2% to 51.9%.[88] Ding missed 26.Na7 to win the exchange, but his 26.d5 was also winning. Gukesh struggled on until move 39 as Ding finished in style with the rook sacrifice 39.Rxg7+, forcing Gukesh to resign due to the coming pawn promotion with mate soon to follow.[86]
Bryan Armen Graham of The Guardian described Gukesh as being "confounded in a state of middlegame zugzwang".[89] Both former world champion Magnus Carlsen and Hikaru Nakamura were critical of Gukesh's opening choice after the game, since Ding's opening choice was fairly predictable, yet Ding still got a clear advantage and was able to play for a win with no risk of losing.[85]
Position after 22.Bf4. White's bishop targets the weak squares on d6 and c7, exploiting the fact that 22...Rxf4? would lose an exchange to 23.Qe5.
Game 13, a hard-fought draw in 69 moves, was played on 11 December 2024. Gukesh surprised Ding out of the opening with 7.a3 and 8.Be3, putting Ding under pressure. With 17.Qf3!? (which Magnus Carlsen called a move he would only consider if he were very inspired or in very bad shape)[90] he offered the d4-pawn, but Ding believed his opponent and played 17...Qe8?!, a significant concession since the queen can no longer go to its best square (f6). Gukesh grew his advantage with 22.Bf4!, infiltrating on the weak d6- and c7-squares, but 25.Bxe7?! was a little hasty. This move forces an advantageous position, but 25.Rfe1 would have been even better. Gukesh briefly had a winning advantage when Ding misstepped with 30...Qf7? (it was necessary to trade queen for two rooks with 30...Qxe1!), but his 31.Ne4? allowed Black key defensive resources that Gukesh had missed (exchanging rooks first with 31.Rxe8+! Qxe8 32.Ne4 would have forced the win). Despite having only 8 minutes for 10 more moves, Ding found the only moves 31...Rf8! and 32...Rc7! to draw the game.[91]
Position after 18...b5. In a slightly-superior position, Ding inexplicably (Rafael Leitao)[92] decides to play 19. cxb5 and 20. Nf4, forcing piece exchanges and liquidating towards a draw. Because White is the player with the superior position, kibitzing GMs Hikaru Nakamura and Magnus Carlsen opined that this was either a sign of a player who was not very confident, or was in a tournament situation where a draw is sufficient.[93]
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Position after Ding's blunder: 55.Rf4–f2??
Game 14, a 58-move win for Gukesh, was played on 12 December 2024. Gukesh came up with the game's first surprise by playing the rare move 6...Nge7!?. He then played for a win with 13...Bb6?!, a move GM Magnus Carlsen criticized as "ambition without ammunition"[94] since although it avoided a draw, it led to a position in which only Ding could be better. Ding failed to capitalize, however, and when he played 19.cxb5?! he indicated a desire to liquidate towards a draw. Ding's plan led to a pawn-down endgame which was a theoretical draw, although Black could try to win. After over 20 moves of maneuvering, Ding made a surprise blunder, offering a rook trade (55.Rf2??) at a time when his bishop was stuck on a corner square, allowing Gukesh to force a winning 2 pawns vs. 1 pawn endgame.[92]
Per regulation, Gukesh won $1,350,000 while Ding took home $1,150,000. Despite winning the match, Gukesh lost 6.2 Elo rating points and remained fifth on the FIDE rating list, while Ding gained 6.2 points and moved to seventeenth.
Gukesh paid tribute to his opponent after the match, commending Ding for defending several very difficult positions in the match:
In the games where he was almost going to give up, where the position was completely losing for him, he kept finding resources, he kept fighting, and then once I took the lead he played an amazing game to fight back.… Any normal human being would have just given up at that point, but then he came the next day and he played a great game. He completely destroyed me that game, and it was really inspiring to see that despite how the odds are against him, he kept fighting. He kept coming to the board and giving it his all. He’s a real inspiration for me!
Gukesh acknowledged that although he had become world champion, he is not the best player in the world, which is still Magnus Carlsen;[i] however, this only motivates him to try to catch Carlsen. For his part, Carlsen acknowledged that Gukesh has time and room to improve, and might even be the one to knock him off the top spot.[94] Gukesh's win turned him into an instant celebrity in his home country of India, with a massive crowd greeting him on his return.[96]
For Ding, the match exceeded expectations because he played strong chess following a period of poor form. Ding's second Richárd Rapport even opined that Ding had overall played better than his opponent, saying Ding "completely outplayed" Gukesh in both his wins.[94] Chess.com's post-match analysis stated that whilst Ding had advantageous positions in all three of his losses, his apparent lack of self-belief and underestimation of his position meant he was unable to press home the advantage.[94] Ding said after the match that he would continue to play chess, albeit with more focus on rapid and blitz. He was non-committal about fighting for another shot at the World Championship: there is no automatic berth for the loser of the match in the next Candidates Tournament, so he has to play in the World Cup or the FIDE circuit, which could require too many tournaments.[94]
Notes
↑ Russian players' flags are displayed as the FIDE flag, as Russian and Belarusian flags have been banned from FIDE-rated events in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.[22]
↑ The regulations stated that it would be the top three finishers other than Ding and Nepomniachtchi. (And that if both finished in the top four of the World Cup, then the World Cup qualifiers would be the other two players in the top four; and two players with the highest rating in the January 2024 ranking list would qualify for the event instead of one). However neither of these players reached the World Cup semifinals: Ding elected not to play, and Nepomniachtchi lost in the fifth round.
↑ Fabiano Caruana finished first in the 2023 FIDE Circuit, but had already qualified for the Candidates through a third place finish at the Chess World Cup 2023. As a result, the qualifying spot was awarded to the highest finisher of the FIDE Circuit who had not already qualified for the event (Gukesh Dommaraju).[23][24]
↑ Provided the player has played at least 4 classical time control tournaments eligible for the 2023 FIDE Circuit.
The Giuoco Piano is a chess opening beginning with the moves:
The English Opening is a chess opening that begins with the move:
The World Chess Championship 1972 was a match for the World Chess Championship between challenger Bobby Fischer of the United States and defending champion Boris Spassky of the Soviet Union. The match took place in the Laugardalshöll in Reykjavík, Iceland, and has been dubbed the Match of the Century. Fischer became the first American born in the United States to win the world title, and the second American overall. Fischer's win also ended, for a short time, 24 years of Soviet domination of the World Championship.
The Caro–Kann Defence is a chess opening characterised by the moves:
The Catalan Opening is a chess opening where White plays d4 and c4 and fianchettoes the white bishop on g2. A common opening sequence is 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.g3, although various other openings can transpose into the Catalan. The Encyclopaedia of Chess Openings (ECO) lists codes E01–E09 for lines with 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.g3 d5 4.Bg2; other lines are part of E00.
The Symmetrical Defense is a chess opening that begins with the moves:
The Queen's Gambit Declined is a chess opening in which Black declines a pawn offered by White in the Queen's Gambit:
The Colle System, also known as the Colle–Koltanowski System, is a chess opening system for White, popularised in the 1920s by the Belgian master Edgard Colle and further developed by George Koltanowski.
The London System is an opening system in chess where White opens with 1.d4 and develops the dark-squared bishop to f4, then supports the d4-pawn with pawns on e3 and c3. The other bishop is developed to d3 and the knights typically to f3 and d2. This set-up often results in a closed game. The London System can be used against virtually any Black defence and thus comprises a smaller body of opening theory than many other openings. Although it has a reputation as a solid opening, the London System has faced criticism for its tedious nature and lack of dynamic play.
The World Chess Championship 2008 was a best-of-twelve-games match between the incumbent World Chess Champion, Viswanathan Anand, and the previous World Champion, Vladimir Kramnik. Kramnik had been granted a match after not winning the World Chess Championship 2007 tournament.
The World Chess Championship 2012 was a chess match between the defending World Champion Viswanathan Anand of India and Boris Gelfand of Israel, winner of the 2011 Candidates Tournament. After sixteen games, including four rapid games, Anand retained his title. The match, held under the auspices of the World Chess Federation FIDE, took place between 10 and 31 May 2012 in the Engineering Building of the State Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow, Russia. The prize fund was US$2.55 million.
Ding Liren is a Chinese chess grandmaster who was the 17th World Chess Champion from 2023–24. He is also a three-time Chinese Chess Champion and was a member of the Chinese chess teams that won the Chess Olympiads in 2014 and 2018. Ding is the first Chinese player ever to play in a Candidates Tournament and first Chinese player to pass the 2800 Elo mark on the FIDE world rankings. In July 2016, with a blitz rating of 2875, he was the highest-rated Blitz player in the world. In July 2023, Ding became the No. 1 ranked Rapid player, with a rating of 2830. He achieved his highest classical rating of 2816 in November 2018 and a peak classical ranking of No.2 in November 2021 behind Magnus Carlsen.
Richárd Rapport is a Hungarian chess grandmaster. A chess prodigy, he earned his grandmaster title at the age of 13 years, 11 months, and six days, making him Hungary's youngest ever grandmaster. He was the Hungarian Chess Champion in 2017 and was the fifth-rated player in the world in May 2022.
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The World Chess Championship 2013 was a match between reigning world champion Viswanathan Anand and challenger Magnus Carlsen, to determine the World Chess Champion. It was held from 7 to 25 November 2013 in Chennai, India, under the auspices of FIDE.
The World Chess Championship 2016 was a chess match between the reigning world champion Magnus Carlsen and the challenger Sergey Karjakin to determine the World Chess Champion. Carlsen had been world champion since 2013, while Karjakin qualified as challenger by winning the 2016 Candidates Tournament. The best-of-12 match, organized by FIDE and its commercial partner Agon, was played in New York City between 10 and 30 November 2016.
The World Chess Championship 2018 was a match between the reigning world champion since 2013, Magnus Carlsen, and the challenger Fabiano Caruana to determine the World Chess Champion. The 12-game match, organised by FIDE and its commercial partner Agon, was played at The College in Holborn, London, between 9 and 28 November 2018. The games were broadcast on worldchess.com and by NRK.
The World Chess Championship 2021 was a chess match between the reigning world champion Magnus Carlsen and the challenger Ian Nepomniachtchi to determine the World Chess Champion. It was held under the auspices of FIDE and played during Expo 2020 at Dubai Exhibition Centre in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, between 24 November and 12 December 2021. It was originally scheduled for the latter half of 2020 but was postponed until 2021 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result, this is the first sporting event to be held at an international exposition since the 1904 Summer Olympics during the Louisiana Purchase Exposition in St. Louis, United States.
The Berlin Defence is a chess opening that begins with the moves:
The World Chess Championship 2023 was a chess match between Ian Nepomniachtchi and Ding Liren to determine the new World Chess Champion. The match took place in Astana, Kazakhstan, from 9 April to 30 April 2023, and was a best of 14 games, plus tiebreaks.
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Ding Liren 
Gukesh Dommaraju 
