D Gukesh vs Ding Liren, World Chess Championship: Defending champion Ding Liren mounts a strong comeback, levels the match at 6-all after securing a win in Game 12 against D Gukesh

In his last move, Gukesh advanced his King's pawn to e5, gaining space in the center.

World Chess Championship Live, Game 12: Gukesh advances his pawn to e5, putting the onus back on Ding to respond.

World Chess Championship Live, Game 12: Ding moves his bishop to capture Gukesh's pawn on e3, aiming to regain material and establish control.

Ding advances his pawn, prompting Gukesh to push his own to e3 to capture Ding's pawn.

“We’ll see if Ding has any fight in him. Will Ding crumble now? I think that’s most likely the most likely scenario. Whether he will put any pressure on Gukesh, whatsoever? Hard to say. Kinda doubt it. Gukesh has been very good at neutralising Ding with black pieces. Maybe Ding will put in a shift in the two white games remaining. But I am not optimistic on his behalf."

Ding takes a pause as Gukesh moved his bishop. Gukesh has already moved his both the knights and and a bishop whereas Ding has a more defensive formation.

Ding castles, and Gukesh develops his other knight, bringing it into the fray. Ding now takes a moment to deliberate his next move.

Following up naturally, Ding develops with Bg2, while Gukesh responds with Nf6. Ignoring the c-pawn, Gukesh advances with d4, taking the initiative.

Ding starts with c4 e6 followed by g3 d5 by Gukesh

Ding removed his suit even before the game began, signalling a shift in his approach.

The 12th game between challenger D Gukesh and defending champion Ding Liren is underway in Spingapore. D Gukesh with black pieces and Ding Liren will play with white pieces today. Here we go!

Ding, playing with white in game 12, will have the chance to strike back immediately at Gukesh's lead, but the risk of losing would mean his shot at defending his world champion title would effectively be over going into a rest day tomorrow.

Magnus Carlsen emphasises that today's game 12 is "as must-win as they come" for Ding Liren.

He offered guidance to the person who will succeed him as world champion, suggesting: "Just doing something social with his team. Just try and escape for a little bit."

Carlsen reflected on his experience across five world championship matches, noting: "I have only been down once... against Sergey Karjakin. Then my world was kind of rocky for two or three days. I don't envy Ding. There were four games left for me too. Its not easy for Ding."

D Gukesh said his team had done a great job of preparing him for the opening line in the 11th game.

"My team did some amazing work in this line. I looked at the line; I felt it was very interesting, and the risk-reward ratio was quite nice because I would surprising him for sure," said the teenager.

The Indian categorically rejected the belief that Liren was playing for a draw, saying his opponent too had been in a strong position in game 11.

"I don't think my opponent was playing for draws - he had some better positions in the match. It's a 14-game long match and you can't plan from the start to take the match to the tie-breaks, because in chess mistakes always happen.

"This game was just a rollercoaster, it could have easily gone the other way."

1.Nf3 d5 2.c4 d4 3.b4 c5 4.e3 Nf6 5.a3 Bg4 6.exd4 cxd4 7.h3 Bxf3 8.Qxf3 Qc7 9.d3 a5 10.b5 Nbd7 11.g3 Nc5 12.Bg2 Nfd7 13.0–0 Ne5 14.Qf4 Rd8 15.Rd1 g6 16.a4 h5 17.b6 Qd6 18.Ba3 Bh6 19.Bxc5 Qxc5 20.Qe4 Nc6 21.Na3 Rd7 22.Nc2 Qxb6 23.Rab1 Qc7 24.Rb5 0–0 25.Na1 Rb8 26.Nb3 e6 27.Nc5 Re7 28.Rdb1 Qc8 29.Qxc6 black resigned.

Gukesh aims to become the youngest classical chess champion in history.

After one of the most exciting games of the match, in which both players spent almost an hour on one single move, he defeated the champion Ding Liren and set the match score at 6-5 with only three games to go.

“It was a very difficult game for me. Already on move four, I wasn’t sure if I had made the correct choice. I remembered a game I played in a rapid tournament against GM Adhiban but I couldn’t remember the other moves. I spent 40 minutes calculating some nonsense variations” a visibly sad Ding explained after the game.

On this occasion, the lack of time was decisive. With only seven minutes to go, Ding blundered on move 28, dropping a piece in a one-move combination. Instead of 28…Nb4, giving back his extra pawn with decent drawing chances, he played the losing 28…Qc8 and after 29.Qxc6 had to resign.

Gukesh was very appreciative of his team of coaches: “Full congratulations to my team for their effort in the preparation of this opening, which caught my opponent by surprise. Then I did some stupid things, but I am happy I was able to get it back together” were his first impressions after the game.

In an attempt to remain positive, Ding Liren recalled that in the previous match, he managed to make a come-back in game twelve.

“In the last match I made a comeback on the twelfth game, so I am hoping to play well tomorrow”.

After eight consecutive draws, D. Gukesh seized a crucial advantage in his quest to become the youngest classical chess champion in history.

In one of the most thrilling games of the match, where both players spent nearly an hour on a single move, Gukesh defeated reigning champion Ding Liren, taking a 6-5 lead with only three games remaining in the 14-game series.

Time pressure proved decisive in the match.

With only seven minutes left, Ding blundered on move 28, losing a piece in a one-move combination. Instead of the defensive 28…Nb4, which would have offered decent drawing chances despite surrendering his extra pawn, Ding played the losing 28…Qc8. After Gukesh’s precise 29.Qxc6, Ding resigned immediately.

Despite the setback, Ding sought to remain optimistic, recalling a comeback he achieved in his previous championship match.

Hello and welcome to the Live coverage of World Chess Championship, Game 12 between D Gukesh and Ding Liren.

Confident D Gukesh will look to extend lead over defending champion Ding Liren in Game 12.

Young Indian Grandmaster D Gukesh took a significant step toward the World Chess Championship title on Sunday, defeating defending champion Ding Liren in the 11th game to secure a 6-5 lead in their 14-game classical format match. With only three games remaining, Gukesh's advantage puts him in a strong position in the tightly contested series.

Gukesh began with a Knight move, while Liren opted for a reverse Benoni opening, suggesting an over-the-board decision rather than a premeditated strategy. By the fifth move, Gukesh had gained a significant time advantage, leading by over an hour on the clock—an edge difficult to overcome in high-stakes games.

The game ended abruptly on Liren's 28th move when, under time pressure with just seven minutes left, he blundered a piece and immediately resigned.

Liren had initially taken the lead by winning the first game, but Gukesh equalized with a victory in the third game. Seven consecutive draws followed, showcasing the intense competition between the two players.

With eight draws so far, the championship is poised for an exciting finish as Gukesh looks to maintain his edge and claim the coveted title.