{"id":118226,"date":"2024-12-09T22:16:21","date_gmt":"2024-12-09T22:16:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/fide-world-championship-game-12-ding-liren-defeats-gukesh-d-to-tie-the-match-fide\/"},"modified":"2024-12-09T22:16:21","modified_gmt":"2024-12-09T22:16:21","slug":"fide-world-championship-game-12-ding-liren-defeats-gukesh-d-to-tie-the-match-fide","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/fide-world-championship-game-12-ding-liren-defeats-gukesh-d-to-tie-the-match-fide\/","title":{"rendered":"FIDE World Championship Game 12: Ding Liren defeats Gukesh D to tie the match &#8211; FIDE"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/app.fide.com\/upload\/28986\/6bd8407bf6d5ceee8602e3fad4c3511f.jpg\" style=\"height:459px; width:700px\"><br \/>In an unexpected twist, reigning World Champion Ding Liren defeated the challenger Gukesh D. this afternoon in game twelve, echoing twelfth-game comeback win against Ian Nepomniachtchi in the 2022 title match.<br \/>Even though he was initially taken aback by Gukesh\u2019s opening approach, Ding managed to find his way and create a chess masterpiece, arguably one of the best games of his career. Let\u2019s take a closer look at today\u2019s game.<br \/><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/app.fide.com\/upload\/28997\/135007e7085979a7d5b41ce54c0e54d7.jpg\" style=\"height:482px; width:700px\"><br \/>As usual, both players arrived a few minutes before 5pm and Gukesh took a moment to enter \u201cmeditation mode\u201d for a couple of minutes, closing his eyes to focus on the game. Meanwhile, Mr. Zhu Jing, Charg\u00e9 d\u2019affaires ad interim of the Chinese Embassy in Singapore, performed the ceremonial first move.<br \/>For the second time in the match, Ding opened with <strong>1.c4<\/strong>, the English opening. Gukesh immediately responded <strong>1&#8230;e6<\/strong>, aiming for a Queen\u2019s Gambit declined setup.<br \/><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/app.fide.com\/upload\/29000\/fac4ef5554f69012fe38d2f1d4e245a6.jpg\" style=\"height:470px; width:700px\"><br \/>Unexpectedly, the champion thought for three minutes considering his options: maybe he was expecting a repeat of 1\u2026e5, Gukesh\u2019s game eight choice. He decided to go for a Reti setup, with a kingside fianchetto.<br \/><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/app.fide.com\/upload\/28991\/5e71fb1cd9bbae314d9b530eec0af693.jpg\" style=\"height:469px; width:470px\"><br \/>\u201cWith his move order, it seems that Ding has tried to side-step the \u2026Bb4+ line in the Catalan. Maybe that is why Gukesh has played <strong>4\u2026d4<\/strong> instead of 4\u2026Be7, which would have permitted the traditional Catalan opening move 5.d4,\u201d was GM David Howell\u2019s reasoning in the commentary booth.<br \/>One of the key games in this variation was played in 2019 between Richard Rapport and Ni Hua in China &#8211; both of whom are seconding Ding in the match! In that game, Ni Hua played 7\u20260-0 instead of Gukesh\u2019s <strong>7\u2026dxe3<\/strong>.&nbsp;<br \/><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/app.fide.com\/upload\/28992\/67908bf29594ff82ba1a263e1cca7c84.jpg\" style=\"height:468px; width:470px\"><br \/>Both players developed their pieces logically and the position remained equal going into the middlegame. The champion was manoeuvring around, waiting for the best moment to break in the centre with d3-d4, while the challenger was trying to keep control of the d-file and keep his position together in what basically looked like a waiting strategy.<br \/>Arriving at the key moment, Gukesh decided to target Ding\u2019s backward d3-pawn with the maneuver 16\u2026Nd7 and 17\u2026Nc5, but the champion anticipated this and struck with <strong>18.d4!<\/strong>, sacrificing material for the initiative if necessary!&nbsp;<br \/><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/app.fide.com\/upload\/28993\/9d5a9285bba9e95a3707f665b4d43e5a.jpg\" style=\"height:469px; width:470px\"><br \/>As he confirmed after the game, Gukesh already sensed that he was in big trouble. Opening the position was out of the question, given the activity of White\u2019s pieces. &nbsp;<strong>18\u2026e4<\/strong> played by the challenger&nbsp;was the lesser of many evils, but it didn\u2019t matter &#8211; Ding was on a roll. He capitalized on his central pawns combined with his pair of bishops, steadily increasing his advantage.<br \/><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/app.fide.com\/upload\/28994\/9487c5377a6afbbb0cbb4a7613b92498.jpg\" style=\"height:471px; width:470px\"><br \/>The champion could have played the simple 26.Na7, winning the exchange and the game, but instead he went for the powerful <strong>26.d5<\/strong> with the idea 27.d6! crashing in. However, after the game, Ding acknowledged missing some tactics! After losing two pawns, Gukesh could have resigned, but he kept on in time trouble searching for some sort of defensive resource, that never came.<br \/><em>Put yourself in Ding\u2019s shoes. Find the killer tactic that forced Gukesh to resign.<\/em><br \/><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/app.fide.com\/upload\/28990\/6ae13cecbc479542e4df98ef3dadc9ce.jpg\" style=\"height:469px; width:470px\"><br \/><strong>39. Rxg7+! <\/strong>and Gukesh capitulated, facing the inevitable checkmate <strong>1-0<\/strong><br \/><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/app.fide.com\/upload\/28987\/4efdd2f969559e8b1c92e99f32ded48e.jpg\" style=\"height:461px; width:700px\"><br \/>Despite suffering a major blow, Gukesh took it in stride. \u201cAlthough I didn\u2019t remember all the details, I was aware of the opening position. I thought I was quite comfortable after the opening but later on, I wasn\u2019t sure what to do,\u201d he explained after the game.<br \/>&#8220;In the second half of the match, I had chances in many of the games. Today was obviously a bad game, but I wouldn&#8217;t draw too much from it. Bad games happen. But if you look at the second half overall, I think we are both playing better than the first half. 6-6 is overall the fair result, but since I was leading after yesterday, it is a bit disappointing to lose this game,&#8221; he added.<br \/><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/app.fide.com\/upload\/28988\/3fb5ed13afe8714a7e5d13ee506003dd.jpg\" style=\"height:458px; width:700px\"><br \/>Gukesh ended the press conference on a positive note: \u201cObviously it\u2019s not pleasant to lose this game, but at least the score is tied \u2013 two more games are remaining, so let\u2019s see,\u201d the challenger concluded before he retired for the night.<br \/>A visibly happy Ding Liren reflected on his recovery in the postgame press conference: \u201cYesterday was a difficult game to deal with, but I tried to continue with my normal routine and be refreshed for this important game. Today I had a cup of coffee before the game, which helped me feel much more energetic, and also, I had some snacks to maintain my energy levels for the critical moment. I think I played a very good game and found some good moves.\u201d<br \/><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/app.fide.com\/upload\/28995\/f99687dd719c4e8bc6a39e946c3d9ef7.jpg\" style=\"height:470px; width:700px\"><br \/>After twelve of the fourteen scheduled classical games, once again the match is tied 6-6. The players will enjoy their final rest tomorrow and the match will resume on Wednesday, December 11th at 5 PM local time in Singapore, with Gukesh playing White.<br \/><strong>FACT SHEET, Game 12, FIDE World Championship:<\/strong><br \/>White: Ding Liren<br \/> Black: Gukesh D<br \/> Result: 1-0<br \/> Game length: 39 moves<br \/> Opening: English Opening<br \/> Variation: Agincourt Defence<br \/> Match score: 6-6<br \/>Although the FIDE World Championship takes central stage, the local organizers along with FIDE have arranged a wide range of side events for all the fans coming to Sentosa for the match.<br \/>Today\u2019s highlight was a screening of \u201cThe Thinking Game\u201d, a documentary chronicling visionary scientist Demis Hassabis&#8217; relentless pursuit to crack artificial general intelligence, a journey of extraordinary perseverance.<br \/><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/app.fide.com\/upload\/28999\/2de40e0d504f583cda7465979f958a98.jpg\" style=\"height:466px; width:700px\"><br \/>Additionally, a Q&amp;A session with five of Singapore\u2019s Grandmasters\u2014Wong Meng Kong, Wu Shaobin, Kevin Goh, Tin Jingyao, and Siddharth Jagadeesh\u2014delighted spectators in the Fan Zone.<br \/>Written by IM Michael Rahal (Singapore)<br \/>Photos: Eng Chin An, Maria Emelianova and Singapore Open<br \/>Official website: <a href=\"https:\/\/worldchampionship.fide.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">worldchampionship.fide.com\/<\/a><br \/>Full programme of side-events: <a href=\"https:\/\/worldchampionship.fide.com\/events\" target=\"_blank\">worldchampionship.fide.com\/events<\/a><br \/><strong>About the event<\/strong><br \/>Current World Champion <strong>Ding Liren<\/strong>, representing China,<strong> <\/strong>and<strong> <\/strong>challenger<strong> Gukesh D<\/strong>, from India,<strong> <\/strong>face each other in a fourteen-game classical chess match. The player who scores 7.5 points or more will win the match, picking up the better part of the $2.5 million total prize fund.<br \/>The first of the fourteen scheduled games took place&nbsp;on Monday, November 25 at 5 pm with Gukesh opening&nbsp;with White. Hosted at the luxurious Resorts World Sentosa the match is&nbsp;broadcast&nbsp;live with expert commentary on the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/@FIDE_chess\">FIDE YouTube Channel<\/a>.<br \/> &nbsp;<br \/><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/app.fide.com\/upload\/28627\/a0ab85b8c2799ef07385aa10942a086d.png\" style=\"height:448px; width:700px\"><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/rss\/articles\/CBMiREFVX3lxTFBSZ3hhcFRmaS1tRkUtZVc3bC0tSHhWV1ktYVF4MjRscVhtQng2di1LODhKb1JPOFFSbUVObjUwYXdpZTRz?oc=5\">source<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In an unexpected twist, reigning World Champion Ding Liren defeated the challenger Gukesh D. this afternoon in game twelve, echoing twelfth-game comeback win against Ian Nepomniachtchi in the 2022 title match.Even though he was initially taken aback by Gukesh\u2019s opening approach, Ding managed to find his way and create a chess masterpiece, arguably one of [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":118227,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-118226","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world","8":"entry"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/118226","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=118226"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/118226\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/118227"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=118226"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=118226"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=118226"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}