Ding Liren stormed back into contention with a win with white against D Gukesh in game 12 of the 2024 FIDE World Chess Championship. After a demoralizing loss in game 11, the defending world champion proved his mettle with a masterfully accurate game to make it 6-6 in the tie overall.
The championship heads into a rest day tomorrow, after which the final two games will decide the fate of the championship. A victory for either player would all but guarantee the title, or we head to tie-breakers after game 14. Nonetheless, game 12 was all about Ding bouncing back in the contest - just like he did on his way to becoming world champion in 2023 against Ian Nepomniachtchi.
With plenty of expectation that he'd prepared a surprise for Gukesh, Ding opted for the English opening with c4, as Gukesh responded with the Agincourt defence (e6). Ding immediately went on a bit of a think, taking 3 minutes to move his pawn to g3. The opening morphed from the Agincourt to the Neo-Catalan defence by the fourth move.
Until moves 7, the line that had been taken was exactly that of one between Richard Rapport and Ni Hua in 2019 - who happen to be Ding's seconds in Singapore. As the game progressed, Gukesh had his first long think on move 10 (h6, 15 minutes) then making the game a complete novelty.
Both players were taking their time with moves thereafter, as they calculated lines that gave Ding a slight edge. The pawn moving to d4 was considered the major threat, and it happened in move 18 of the game, which came after a long think from Ding on move 17. It was an accurate move that the engines loved, handing Ding a major advantage.
As the players approached time control on level terms, Gukesh was aware of the squeeze but continued to play conservative moves, until a bit of an inaccuracy in move 22 (bishop to g5) gave Ding a bigger advantage. The world champion's demeanor grew a lot more confident, as he eyed his route back into the game after yesterday's loss.
Even as the clock ticked down, Ding played another very accurate move (knight to f4) that increased his advantage. Gukesh's time dwindled as he attempted to work his way out of a poor position, with Ding always responding with accurate moves, trapping all of Gukesh's key pieces.
The Indian bravely played on, but with Ding suffocating his pieces at every turn, the world champion went two pawns up as they approached time control and move 40. It ended on move 39, when Ding checked with his rook and Gukesh was left with no option but to resign. The Indian was visibly dejected, with his head in his hands as he took a moment to compose himself, dealing with being outplayed by Ding, who earned his first win with white.
Reflecting on the result on the Chessbase India stream, Viswanathan Anand noted both players need the rest day tomorrow, saying "We're back to ties, but it's different from two draws. They've both been on a roller-coaster - both of them will collapse onto the rest day and hopefully come back ready for more. They'll really need the rest day tomorrow, but Ding will sleep well tonight."
Gukesh was visibly dejected in the press conference, and answered a few questions before being afforded the opportunity to leave early - just as Ding Liren had done yesterday. Here's what he said:
On the opening:
"I though I was quite comfortable out of the opening, and then after Qd2 (move 17) I was not sure what to do. I was prepared for a few moves. I didn't remember all the details, but I was aware of this position, yes."
On the tie overall:
"Obviously, it's not pleasant to lose this game. Yesterday could also have gone either way. Atleast the score is tied and there are two more games remaining, so let's see. This game is a bit of a disappointment. Luckily I have a rest day tomorrow to recover. It's nice to know that the score is still tied and this game is not a huge blow for my chances. We're still evenly matched and I'll try to play good games in the remaining games."
On who has the momentum:
"The second half I had chances in many of the games. Today was obviously a bad game, but I wouldn't draw too much from it - bad games happen. If you look at the second haf overall, I think we're both playing better than the first half. I think I have had more chances in the second half [of the championship]."
On his mindset:
"6-6 is overall a fair result. Since I was leading after yesterday, it's a bit disappointing to lose this game. Whether it's going to change my mindset in the next two games? No I don't think so - it's still about playing good chess. Right now I'm a bit disappointed with the game, but I have time to recover and start playing well."
Ding Liren, in contrast, was quite pleased in his press conference. Here's what he said:
On bouncing back:
"Yesterday was a difficult game to deal with since I was much better at one point. I spent too little time on the critical moment and spoiled a very good position. After that I continued my normal routine, had dinner and slept earlier, and was refreshed for this game."
"Last night I slept well, slept earlier - it gave me a lot of energy. Also, today I had a cup of coffee before the game, which helped me feel much more energetic [laughs]. I spent some time in the player's lounge to have some snacks, rest a little bit and maintain my energy levels during the critical moments."
On when he knew he had the advantage:
"After Nf4 (move 23), I realised my position was much, much better. After Nb5 (move 15), I was optimistic about my chances, but there were many details."
On if this was his best game:
"Yes, it's a very important 12th game. It's maybe the best game I've played in recent times."
"I just put pressure on my opponent this whole game. Did not sleep - like the last game."
Oh how he was encouraged by his team after the loss:
"Rapport sent me a file with the name 'Strike Back!' and it happened. My mum gave me confidence - she said I did it last time and I can do it again."
On lucky 12:
"It there is a lucky number for me, I think it is 17, not 12 [referring to him being the 17th world champion]. But there is no game 17 in the match [laughs]."
On the difference between his two wins:
"In first game, the advantage was not so clear. I was also in danger of being worse. Today, I just played the best moves and at some point I realised my position was much, much better - there was no way to draw."
You can relive the match, as it happened, below: