Grivas on games five and six

by Efstratios Grivas
12/2/2024 – Going to the second free day, the match for the FIDE World Championship 2024, between the World Champion Ding Liren and the Challenger D. Gukesh, is tied on 3-3 after six games. Ding seems to be in charge by now, as he has lost a number of opportunities to gain a one or two points lead already! International chess trainer GM Efstratios Grivas provides his take on games five and six.

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After the six encounters, each opponent has won one game, and there were four fighting draws to complete the picture. Ding seems to be in charge, while Gukesh is fighting well and tries to create chances in every game. But it is Ding who finds them. However, he doesn’t take advantage of the "presents" of his opponent!

The match remains unclear and promises more entertaining games. Here are my comments on games five and six – followed by a replayer with all six games with my annotations.

Live commentary during the game by ChessBase India

And here for all who missed it: my commentary on all six games:

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1.e4 e6 (D)
The 'French Defence'; the first 'shock' of the day was L.Ding's choice, which is not often played in the top-level. Netherless, the Chinese star has played this opening rather frequently in his career, so it was something that could be expected, among other openings as well. 2.d4 d5 (D)
3.Nc3 The text is supposed to be the most aggressive continuation, but I would certainly have opted for 3.Nd2 , or 3.e5 . 3...Nf6 (D)
L.Ding preference. The other big chapter starts with 3...Bb4 . 4.e5 L.Ding has faced several times the alternative 4.Bg5 dxe4 5.Nxe4 Nbd7 6.Nf3 h6∞ Van Foreest,J-Ding,L Internet 2022, or 4.exd5 exd5 5.Bd3 c6 6.Nge2 Be7 7.Bg5 0-0 8.Qd2 Nbd7= Yilmaz,M-Ding,L Iraklion 2002. 4...Nfd7 (D)
5.f4 White's main choice here, as he needs to strength his centre. The other popular line is by 5.Nf3 c5 6.dxc5 Nc6 7.Bf4 Nxc5∞ Nepomniachtchi,I-Ding,L St Petersburg 2012. 5...c5 6.Nce2 (D)
Logical (to strength the centre by c3), but the most popular line here is 6.Nf3 , for example: Nc6 7.Be3 7.Ne2 Be7 8.c3 0-0 9.Be3 f6 10.g3 Qb6 11.Qd2∞ Kamsky,G-Ding,L Moscow 2011 7...a6 8.Ne2 Be7 9.c3 Volokitin,A-Ding,L Istanbul 2012. 6...Nc6 7.c3 a5 A rare, but interesting choice, to 7...Qb6 , or 7...Be7 , as Black intents to create the initiative on the queenside, planning ...a4. You can easily call it the second 'shock' of the day, which was also delivered by the defending champion, who spent close to half an hour before playing the text, amid a theoretical position - in a system which he had surely reviewed before playing this game! 8.Nf3 8.a4 (D)
Weakens the b4-square and gives no problems to Black after 8...Qb6 8...cxd4 9.cxd4 b6? 10.Nf3± Vasquez Schroder,R-Kryakvin,D Internet 2021 9.Nf3 Be7∞ . 8...a4 (D)
9.Be3 D.Gukesh plays it logically. The alternative 9.a3 , seems fine for Black after Be7 9...Qa5 10.g3 b6 11.Bh3 Qb5 12.0-0 Ba6 13.Rf2∞ Podvin,A-Maurizzi,M Quenza 2024 10.Be3 0-0∞ Bharath,S-Xiong,J Internet 2023. 9...Be7 (D)
10.g4 A brave (but probably over-ambitious) novelty to 10.Qd2 0-0 10...f6! , should be considered 11.h4 b5 12.dxc5 Nxc5 13.Bxc5 Bxc5 14.Ned4 Nxd4 15.cxd4 Be7 16.Kf2 Duda,J-Caruana,F Internet 2020. In general, in the 'French Defence', White is seeking his activity on the kingside (usually by the f5 advance) and Black on the queenside. 10...Qa5 (D)
After the text it became clear that the Indian star was also under pressure. And after the game, it was found out that D.Gukesh was in fact out of book after Black's queen appeared on a5. The opening strategy by L.Ding had worked well, after all. Also, at that point, D.Gukesh had a 47-minute advantage on the clock, but as the game progressed, L.Ding closed the time gap steadily as his position looked increasingly better move after move... 11.Bg2 (D)
It looks like it was more or less 'forced' for White to opt for 11.a3 f6 12.h4 0-0 13.Qc2∞ . 11...a3?! 11...Nb6! , should give Black a great game: 12.0-0 Nc4 13.Bc1 Qb6 , where it seems that White has nothing better than to opt for the draw with 14.Rb1 14.Qc2?! cxd4 15.Nexd4 Bd7 16.Rb1 Nxd4 17.Nxd4 Bc5 18.Rd1 h5 14...Na3 15.Ra1 Nc4= . 12.b3 cxd4 (D)
13.b4! The point of White's play and certainly not 13.Nfxd4?! Bh4+ 14.Kf1 g5! . 13...Qc7 14.Nexd4 Nb6! (D)
Black is going for his main counterplay; the weak c4-square. As long as White wouldn't get dangerous by an eventual f5, Black should feel happy. 15.0-0 15.Nb5 , should be the right way for White. After Qd8 16.Bf1 Bd7 17.Qd2 , Black should opt for the aggressive d4! , when wild complications are on the menu: 18.Nbxd4 Nd5 19.Rb1 19.Bf2? Ncxb4! 19...Nxe3 19...Rc8 20.Be2 20.h4 f6! 21.Nxc6 Bxc6 22.b5 (D)
22...Nxc3! 23.Qxd8+ Rxd8 24.bxc6 Nxb1 25.cxb7 Nc3 26.Bd4 Nxa2 27.Bb5+ Kf7 28.Bc4 Nb4 29.f5 Rhe8 30.Ke2 Kf8 31.fxe6 Nc6∞ 20...Nxe3 21.Qxe3 Nxd4 22.Nxd4 Bh4+ 23.Kf1 f6 , transposes 20.Qxe3 Nxd4 21.Nxd4 Rc8 22.Be2 Bh4+ 23.Kf1 f6 24.Nf3 fxe5 25.Nxe5 Ba4 26.Kg2 Bf6 27.c4 Bxe5 28.Qxe5 0-0 (D)
White is material-up, but his king is rather weak, promising a fierce battle... 15...Nc4 16.Bf2 Bd7 17.Qe2 White could consider 17.Nd2 Nxd2 18.Qxd2 Nxd4 19.Bxd4 h5 20.g5 Bb5! 20...g6?! 21.Qd3! 21.f5! 21.Rf2?! g6 21...Bxf1 22.Rxf1 exf5 23.Bxd5 Rd8 24.c4 g6 25.Qe3 , where things are far from clear... 17...Nxd4 18.Nxd4 (D)
Also possible was 18.Bxd4 h5 19.Ng5 hxg4 20.Qxg4 g6∞ . 18...Nb2! A strong and particularly impressive move, played after only 42 seconds! Natural-looking moves like 18...0-0 , or 18...Rc8 , are playable alternatives in this position, but L.Ding's choice of placing the knight on b2 is considered to be the strongest continuation by the engines. The Chinese star had recovered his usual form, and was willing to go for the most critical lines in order to fight for a win. 19.Qe3 Rc8 (D)
20.Rac1?! An inaccuracy! White had to opt for 20.Be1 h5 21.g5 21.f5? Nc4 21...g6 22.Rf3! Ba4 23.Qd2∞ . But then White's chances on the kingside wouldn't being high, so we can safely assume that Black's opening strategy had fully worked. 20...Qc4! (D)
Already Black's threats are more serious than White's. 21.f5?! (D)
The text makes White's position rather unpleasant, but it wasn't easy to accept a slightly worst and passive position after 21.Rfe1 Qd3! 22.Bf1 Qxe3 23.Bxe3 h6 . Still, this had objectively to be chosen. 21...Qd3! L.Ding already was up on the clock. Moreover, it was difficult to find a good plan for White, as trading the queens would only increase Black's advantage. Note that 21...Qxa2? (D)
Would even turn the tables after 22.f6! 22.Ra1? Qc4 23.Rxa3 22...gxf6 23.exf6 Bd6 24.Nf5! Bc7 25.Ne7± . 22.Qe1? (D)
D.Gukesh opted for the text, defending the pawn on c3, when 22.Qf4 , was stronger - though Black could have replied by g5! , with a strong position. L.Ding was now clearly in the driver's seat, while D.Gukesh felt he was in trouble, as he began to spend a lot of time on each of his decisions. 22...Bg5! A strong replay and certainly not 22...exf5? 23.e6 23.Bxd5 Qa6 24.Qe3+- 23...fxe6 24.Nxe6+- . 23.Rc2 (D)
23...Rc4 Black should avoid something like 23...exf5? 24.e6+- , or 23...Ba4? 24.fxe6! fxe6 24...Bxc2? 25.exf7+ Kxf7 26.e6+ Ke8 27.Qe5+- 25.Nxe6! 25.Re2? Bd1 25...Qg6 26.Nxg5+- . Probably best was the calm (and to the point) 23...0-0! , when Black should have a near-to-winning position. 24.h4 Bf4! (D)
White's pieces are un-coordinated and he will soon lose material. Black's initiative on the queenside proved much more dangerous and effective than White's on the kingside. 25.Qb1 Defending against the main threat ...Rxd4, but losing a pawn... Rxc3 26.Rxc3 Qxc3 27.fxe6 (D)
27...fxe6? The first wrong move of L.Diren, which still keeps the advantage, although after the text is not so big as after the correct 27...Bxe6 , aiming for ...0-0 -+. For example: 28.Ne2 28.Nf5 Bxe5-+ 28...Qxe5 29.Nxf4 Qxf4 30.Qc2 Qxb4-+ . 28.Ne2! Precise and good; White gets some chances to survive. Qxe5 29.Nxf4 Qxf4 (D)
30.Qc2? After Black's 29th move, D.Gukesh had less than 11 minutes to make 11 moves (there are no increments before move 40 in the match). What is more, he spent 6 of his remaining 11 minutes before playing the text, which further increased Black's edge. 30.Bc5 , was called for: Qxg4 31.Rf3! 31.Qxh7? Qd4+! 31...Qxh4? 32.Qxh4 Rxh4 33.Rf8# 32.Bxd4 Rxh7 33.Bc5 Rh8-+ 31...Nc4 32.Qf1 Kd8 33.Qf2 (D)
Black has here huge material advantage, but it is not easy to convert it, due to White's active pieces and various threats. 30...Qc4! A confident L.Ding, who had more than 16 minutes on the clock at that point, calculated carefully before playing the correct move, cementing his advantage (Black was two pawns-up at that point). The reigning champion castled short in the next move, and had little trouble improving his pieces, while D.Gukesh struggled both with his position and with the clock. Note that wrong would be 30...Qxb4? 31.Qc7! (D)
31...0-0! 31...Qxg4? 32.Bb6+- 31...Rf8? 32.Qb8+ Ke7 33.Qxf8+ Kxf8 34.Bc5++- 32.Qxd7 Qxg4 33.Kh2 . 31.Qd2 (D)
White rightly tries to preserve the queens on the board, as 31.Qxc4 Nxc4 32.Bd4 Bb5-+ , would be the end of the story. 31...0-0! A quite late but decisive castling, cementing the win, which could be lost after the naive 31...Qxa2? 32.Qg5 32.Bb6+- 32...Na4 32...0-0 33.Bd4 Rxf1+ 34.Bxf1 e5 35.Qxe5 Kf8 36.Qxg7+ Ke8 37.Bf6 Be6 38.Qe7# 33.Bd4+- . But 31...Qxg4 32.Bc5 b6! 32...Qxh4? 33.Qc3!= 33.Bxb6 Rf8 , was the second good continuation for Black. 32.Bd4 (D)
32...Nd3! The greedy 32...Qxa2? , would again turn the tables after 33.Qg5! Rxf1+ 34.Bxf1+- . Black should play it safe, as his extra material is already good enough to cash the point. 33.Qe3 Rxf1+ But not again 33...Nxb4? 34.Rxf8+ Kxf8 35.Bf1+- . As we have already noted, there are still some nasty tricks for White... 34.Bxf1 (D)
34...e5! Clearing-up the situation. 35.Bxe5 Qxg4+ 36.Bg2 Not much different is 36.Bg3 Nxb4 37.Qxa3 h6 38.Bg2 Bf5-+ . 36...Bf5! Safety above all, avoiding the naive 36...Nxb4? 37.Qxa3 Bc6 37...Qxh4? 38.Bc3!= 38.Qb3 . 37.Bg3 (D)
37...Be4! 37...Nxb4? 38.Qe8# , would be too much! 38.Kh2 h6 (D)
38...Nxb4 39.Bxe4 Qxe4 40.Qxa3 h6 41.Qa8+ Kh7 42.Qxb7 Nxa2-+ , would do the job as well. 39.Bh3 39.b5 Kh7 40.b6 Qf5-+ , leaves White with no chances as well. 39...Qd1 40.Bd6 (D)
D.Gukesh played the text with only 31 seconds left, and L.Ding went on to secure his victory in a short time: 40...Qc2+! 41.Kg3 Qxa2 Black has emerged with a material plus of three pawns, while his a-pawn is about to queen... 42.Be6+ Kh8 (D)
Wisely avoiding the blunder with 42...Kh7? 43.Qxe4+ dxe4 44.Bxa2= , which would have ruined Black’s efforts… After the text White resigned, as he has nothing to expect from his ruined position. Remarkably, this is the first time L.Ding is ahead on the scoreboard in a FIDE World Championship match - in 2023, he always came from behind against I.Nepomniachtchi. 0–1
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Gukesh,D2783Ding,L27280–12024C11FIDE-Wch1
Ding,L2728Gukesh,D2783½–½2024C50FIDE-Wch2
Gukesh,D2783Ding,L27281–02024D35FIDE-Wch3
Ding,L2728Gukesh,D2783½–½2024A06FIDE-Wch4
Gukesh,D2783Ding,L2728½–½2024B22FIDE-Wch5
Ding,L2728Gukesh,D2783½–½2024D02FIDE-Wch6

Efstratios (30.03.1966) is a highly experienced chess trainer and chess author. He has been awarded by the International Chess Federation (FIDE) the titles of International Chess Grandmaster, FIDE Senior Trainer, International Chess Arbiter and International Chess Organiser.

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