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Ding Liren said he is at peace ahead of the 2024 FIDE World Championship match and is not taking teenager D Gukesh lightly.
World Chess Championship 2024: D Gukesh Vs Ding Liren
India’s 18-year-old Gukesh Dommaraju takes on reigning World Champion Ding Liren of China in the 2024 FIDE World Championship match at Singapore’s Equarius Hotel in Resorts World Sentosa from November 23 to December 13.
Starting Monday with the first game, the players are slated to play a maximum of 14 Classical games and the one to cross the 7.5 points marker first will be declared the winner in the USD 2.5 million championship.
In case of a tied result, games of shorter duration will be played to determine the winner.
Defending champ Ding Liren is looking forward to the contest saying that he is feeling less nervous than when he was the challenger.
“Well, last time, my first World Championship match, I was very nervous, said many times but this time, I feel peace and a lot of energy, and I hope we can produce the same exciting matches as the last time. Because last time, we really chased a lot of spectators to join us,” Ding Liren said at the press conference on Saturday.
Gukesh, on the other hand, said: “Yeah, first of all, I’m very glad to be here. It’s a world championship is a very special event, and I’ve been looking forward to being here since the time I started playing chess. There are certainly some nerves, but, but yeah, I feel, I feel good about it. I’m eager to start playing. And yeah, the only thought I have is to give my best and yeah, see what happens.”
“It’s an honour and privilege for me to play, play for India in any, any kind of event, especially it’s an event like Olympiad or the World Championship, such a huge event to represent my country and to carry the hopes of, hopes of, you know, the Indians is, it’s an honour for me, and I take it very seriously,” he added.
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The Indian youngster is the overwhelming favourite against the formidable Chinese player. As per history, the defending champion has always been given preference over the challenger but the recent performances by both Gukesh and Liren have turned the tide in the favour of the 18-year-old Indian, who is incidentally the youngest ever challenger and has the chance to be the youngest ever world champion.
For the records, Liren has slipped to number 23 in world rankings following a string of below-average performances since he won the title in 2023.
Gukesh, on the other hand, has risen to number 5 in the World ranking and was simply dominant when he annexed the Candidates’ title that qualified him to take on Liren earlier this April.
Liren’s freefall has been attributed to some mental health issues including depression that kept the Chinese away from competitive chess for the major part of 2023, with his return in early 2024 was marked by below-par performances.
“For me, it’s pretty clear who I’m going to face. I’m going to face Ding Liren, who is one of the best players in the world for more than a decade and my job is also pretty clear, just go to every game as the best version of myself and play the best chess. And if I do that, if I keep playing good chess, stay in the right spirits. I think no matter who you know, like, even with this recent form dip, or even at his best, I don’t think it matters that if I do it, if I’m doing the right things, I’m confident I have all the chances,” Gukesh said.
“Well, it’s not so often to play against a player who is younger than me. The last time I played against Nepo (Ian Nepomniachtchi), he was older but here I am older and I have more experience than him. He’s younger, but he displayed his merch in many aspects, so he is not, not one easy to beat, of course, And yes, I hope we can both perform our best,” said Liren.
- Location :
Singapore, Singapore
