World Championship Game 3: Gukesh grabs first win, evens the score

by Carlos Alberto Colodro
11/27/2024 – The World Chess Championship in Singapore is now level at 1½-1½ after 18-year-old Gukesh D claimed a commanding victory in Game 3. The youngest challenger in history showcased effective opening preparation and flawless technique to overcome Ding Liren, who struggled with time pressure in the critical phase. With this win, Gukesh has regained momentum ahead of the first rest day, resetting the narrative in a match many predicted he would dominate. Ding, on his part, has proven his resilience in the previous match for the crown. | Photo: FIDE / Eng Chin An

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"A masterclass in piece harmony"

Find below expert video analysis by IM Robert Ris.

Gukesh D, the youngest challenger in World Championship history, delivered a commanding victory with the white pieces in game 3 to level the score against reigning champion Ding Liren. Heading into the first rest day, this result marks a critical psychological boost for Gukesh, especially after his painful loss in the opening game. The pre-match favourite has regained momentum, but Ding will have the advantage of playing with the white pieces in two of the next three games before the second rest day.

The third game featured an early h3-g4 thrust from Gukesh in a Queen's Gambit Declined. Ding, caught off-guard, quickly found himself out of preparation and spent over 30 minutes deciding on his 13th move. While the reigning champion initially seemed to stabilise his position, his time management ultimately proved fatal. With just over 8 minutes to make 11 moves at a critical juncture, Ding later lost the thread and ran out of time by move 37, failing to solve the complex problems posed by his young opponent.

Gukesh's opening strategy was both daring and practical, perfectly suited for the situation. Once he seized the initiative, his technique in converting the advantage was nearly flawless. Jovanka Houska, commentating for FIDE, praised the youngster's play, describing it as "a masterclass in piece harmony".

In the post-game press conference, Gukesh responded to questions about his subpar performance in the first game with his usual confidence and maturity:

I was a bit nervous, it's a new setting for me. For example, even Magnus, in his first World Championship, he wasn't at his best at the start. I think it's a very normal reaction, and I was okay with that. It was a bad game, but I was generally feeling good.

Ding, meanwhile, appeared dejected. But he has proven his resilience in the past - in last year's match against Ian Nepomniachtchi, he recovered from deficits in games 2, 5, and 7 to ultimately claim the crown. This time, he is not trailing, but Gukesh's convincing win has shifted the pre-match narrative. Many in the chess world are now reaffirming their belief that the youngster could emerge victorious in this historic encounter.

World Chess Championship 2024

The body language during the post-game press conference conducted by GM Maurice Ashley | Photo: FIDE / Eng Chin An

Gukesh 1 - 0 Ding

Analysis by André Schulz

Dommaraju Gukesh

Gukesh D fully focused | Photo: FIDE / Eng Chin An

Ding Liren

Reigning champion Ding Liren | Photo: FIDE / Eng Chin An

World Chess Championship 2024

Chess fever in Singapore | Photo: FIDE / Eng Chin An


Expert analysis

Commentary by IM Robert Ris


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Carlos Colodro is a Hispanic Philologist from Bolivia. He works as a freelance translator and writer since 2012. A lot of his work is done in chess-related texts, as the game is one of his biggest interests, along with literature and music.
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Karsten Müller Karsten Müller 11/28/2024 02:09
Frits Fritschy: Basically I agree, but 26...Rh4 is stronger than 26...a5. The computer will then defend but of course in a human game White still has winning chances. Probably already 18.,..Rh5?! was a serious mistake from the "human point of view".
Frits Fritschy Frits Fritschy 11/28/2024 01:33
In the variation 19... Ne6, what about 22. Bxd4 instead of Rg2? After 22... Bxd4 23. Rg2 Bxc3 24. bxc3 Bxb3 25. Nxb3 dxe4 26. fxe4 white can try to hang on to his pawns, for instance (I'm following the online engine) 26... a5 27. Kd2 a4 28. Nd4 Ne5 (28... Ra5 29. Rb1) 29. Ke3 Rh1 30. Ra2 and, notwithstanding the computer evaluation, to me it seems black has a tough job here to hold the draw. It's just two pawns for the piece.
arzi arzi 11/28/2024 10:45
How about black`s move 18. ..Rh5, (18.Bg3 Rh5). Maybe he should have moved 18.Bg3 Be7
Karsten Müller Karsten Müller 11/28/2024 10:34
Now on 22...Bc5! instead of 22...Bg7?. Charles Sullivan: "Stockfish, after a deep think (5 hours, depth=72), believes White has a small (+0.62) advantage: 22.b4 (KM 22.Na4 0-0-0 Mueller,Schoen) 22...Bb6 23.Rg2 a5 24.bxa5 Rxa5 25.Nc4 Nf3+ 26.Ke2 Nfe5 27.Nxe5 Rxe5 28.Rxc2 Bxf2 29.Kxf2 Rexg5..."
Karsten Müller Karsten Müller 11/28/2024 10:18
19...Ne6 seems to hold. Wolfram Schoen and Charles Sullivan give: 19...Ne6 20.Rc1 Nd4 21.Bf2 Bc5 22.Rg2 Nxf3+ 23.Nxf3 Bxe4 24.Nxe4 dxe4 25.Bxc5 exf3 26.Rg3 Nxc5 27.Rxc5 f6 28.Rxf3 Rxg5 and Black defends. But even 19...dxe4?! seems to be playable...
lajosarpad lajosarpad 11/28/2024 09:57
A very exciting match! First we have seen brilliant win by Ding and the proof the the hypothesis that he will not go down without a fight and now excellent play by the 18-year-old. I wish them both good luck and am looking forward for the following games.
Karsten Müller Karsten Müller 11/28/2024 09:42
What was Ding's decisive mistake? Was it 22...Bg7? instead of 22...Bc5 or even earlier 19...dxe4? instead of 19...Se6 or another move? This reminds me of my endgame riddles. But what is the solution here?
genem genem 11/28/2024 09:00
The time control should always include a 30 second increment per move. Spectators do not enjoy watching a game evolve just to have it degenerate into a player vs clock battle that the clock will likely win.
arzi arzi 11/28/2024 08:09
Hopefully, the games will be resolved in the style of a classic game, and not in a rapid chess or blitz. In the future, the game format could be 5 hours and two games a day. There would be a 2 hour break between games. The working time of the day would be 12 hours. Games three days straight and then a day off. Games in total 24 games. In the event of a tie, the reigning world champion retains the title, just like in a professional boxing. There would be no need for rapid chess or blitz anymore. The match would also take a tolerable amount of time. 12 game days + days off + opening and closing parties, i.e. about 16-17 days. These three games have each lasted about 4 hours or less. In addition to mental health, the physique must be in good shape.
arzi arzi 11/28/2024 06:51
In two matches, Ding's time management has been quite poor. He won the first of them, despite the use of time, the second he lost, due to bad use of time. Should get to the golden mean. Leaving the officer on c2 was the final clincher. Winning two soldiers for bishop was not enough compensation, especially when there was so little time to use for so many moves. Nice game for Gukesh.
GR2 GR2 11/27/2024 10:35
Ding had a Bobby Fischer moment. Chased a pawn and lost his Bishop.
manfrmlondon manfrmlondon 11/27/2024 09:44
Very strong play from Gukesh, can Ding recovery from massive. blow, let’s wait and see
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