World Chess Championship 2024 Game 8 Highlights: D Gukesh, Ding Liren play out yet another draw

Game 8 delivers yet another wild encounter, ending in a draw as both Gukesh and Ding Liren miss winning opportunities. The scores remain tied at 4-4, with six thrilling games left to decide the outcome!

Gukesh is fighting tooth and nail in this position, avoiding repetition and exploring every possible opportunity to turn the tide. However, it appears the game is heading towards a draw.

1. c4 e5
2. Nc3 Bb4
3. Nd5 Be7
4. Nf3 d6
5. g3 c6
6. Nxe7 Nxe7
7. Bg2 f6
8. O-O Be6
9. b3 d5
10. Ba3 O-O
11. Rc1 a5
12. Ne1 Re8
13. f4 exf4
14. Rxf4
15. bxc4 Ng6
16. Re4 Na6
17. Nc2 Qc7
18. Nd4 Bf7
19. d3 Ne5
20. Nf3 Nd7
21. Rxe8+ Rxe8
22. Rb1 b5
23. cxb5 Qb6+
24. Kf1 cxb5
25. Bb2 Bxa2
26. Bd4 Nac5
27. Rc1 Bb3
28. Qe1 Be6
29. Qf2 Rc8
30. Be3 Rc7
31. Nd4 Bf7
32. Nc6 Rxc6
33. Bxc6 Qxc6
34. Bxc5 h6
35. Ke1 b4
36. Qd4 Ne5
37. Kd2 Qg2
38. Qf2 Qd5
39. Qd4 Qg2
40. Qf2 Qd5
41. Qd4 Qa2+
42. Rc2 Qe6
43. Qd8+ Kh7
44. Qxa5 b3
45. Rc1 Qd5

Gukesh plays Qd5 on his 40th move, successfully reaching the time control and gaining an additional 30 minutes on the clock. Meanwhile, Ding, after responding with Qd4 on his 41st move, is off his chair, possibly reflecting on the next phase of this intense encounter.

Gukesh sacrifices a Rook and a Knight, while Ding parts with a Knight and a Bishop. The exchange tilts the dynamics of the game, adding complexity to an already tense battle.

1. c4 e5
2. Nc3 Bb4
3. Nd5 Be7
4. Nf3 d6
5. g3 c6
6. Nxe7 Nxe7
7. Bg2 f6
8. O-O Be6
9. b3 d5
10. Ba3 O-O
11. Rc1 a5
12. Ne1 Re8
13. f4 exf4
14. Rxf4
15. bxc4 Ng6
16. Re4 Na6
17. Nc2 Qc7
18. Nd4 Bf7
19. d3 Ne5
20. Nf3 Nd7
21. Rxe8+ Rxe8
22. Rb1 b5
23. cxb5 Qb6+
24. Kf1 cxb5
25. Bb2 Bxa2
26. Bd4 Nac5
27. Rc1 Bb3
28. Qe1 Be6
29. Qf2 Rc8
30. Be3 Rc7
31. Nd4 Bf7
32. Nc6 Rxc6
33. Bxc6 Qxc6
34. Bxc5 h6
35. Ke1 b4
36. Qd4

Gukesh has just over 8 minutes to navigate the next 5 moves, while Liren holds a slight edge with just over 10 minutes on his clock. The tension is palpable as both players race against time in this critical phase.

It's more likely that Gukesh will manage to save the game than Ding securing a win, but with five tense moves left before the 40th move, anything can happen in this nervy battle!

1. c4 e5
2. Nc3 Bb4
3. Nd5 Be7
4. Nf3 d6
5. g3 c6
6. Nxe7 Nxe7
7. Bg2 f6
8. O-O Be6
9. b3 d5
10. Ba3 O-O
11. Rc1 a5
12. Ne1 Re8
13. f4 exf4
14. Rxf4
15. bxc4 Ng6
16. Re4 Na6
17. Nc2 Qc7
18. Nd4 Bf7
19. d3 Ne5
20. Nf3 Nd7
21. Rxe8+ Rxe8
22. Rb1 b5
23. cxb5 Qb6+
24. Kf1 cxb5
25. Bb2 Bxa2
26. Bd4 Nac5
27. Rc1 Bb3
28. Qe1 Be6
29. Qf2 Rc8
30. Be3

The curious aspect of Ding's play is his habit of spending 15 minutes deliberating over a move, only for Gukesh to choose the most obvious response —and yet Ding takes another 15 minutes to make his next move. Meanwhile, Gukesh's decision to blitz out moves despite having ample time on the clock raises questions about his approach, especially in a critical position where careful calculation could make all the difference.

Gukesh has secured a clearly superior position, putting Ding under significant pressure, especially with the clock ticking down. However, much like yesterday, Gukesh misses a chance to press his advantage. On the 26th move, he places the wrong knight on the c5 square, allowing Ding a temporary reprieve.

Gukesh chooses 26...Nac5?! instead of the precise 26...Ndc5!, giving Ding an unexpected opportunity to get back into the game.

Ding Liren is cornered having spent an hour of his allocated time on the first 15 moves. He spent 13 minutes on the eighth move. This has given Gukesh a 30-minute advantage

1 c4 e5
2 Nc3 Bb4
3 Nd5 Be7
4 Nf3 d6
5 g3 c6
6 Nxe7 Nxe7
7 Bg2 f6
8 O-O Be6
9 b3 d5
10 Ba3 O-O
11 Rc1 a5
12 Ne1 Re8
13 f4 exf4
14 Rxf4 dxc4
15 bxc4 Ng6
16 Re4 Na6

After 11 moves from both players, Leela Zero, an AI-based chess model whose predictions are visible on top of the official FIDE broadcast, suggests the following final outcomes:

Gukesh win: 21.3 percent

Draw: 57.2 percent

Ding Liren win: 21.5 percent

English Opening: Reversed Sicilian, Kramnik-Shirov Counterattack is how the game has opened between Liren and Gukesh. Liren with the first move as he seeks lead in the World Chess Championship

World Champion Ding Liren starts things off with an English Opening as he moves his pawn to c4.

The one downside for the English Opening is that the opponent has many variations to work with. And Gukesh responds to Ding's 1.c4 with a 1...e5

We start with the following sequence of moves:

1 c4 e5
2 Nc3 Bb4
3 Nd5 Be7

After the fourth game, D Gukesh had expressed disappointment to not make the advantage count. He acknowledged both him and Liren had chances. Despite the miss, Gukesh remained optimistic of his chances.

“I was beaten many times. Firstly in the opening. Then the middle game,” Ding Liren admitted in the post-game press conference. “I thought I was totally inferior during the game. I was getting outplayed. But like many other times, maybe the position was not so bad. And I need to have more confidence in my moves. Today’s game was an absolute rollercoaster. I was satisfied that I was not knocked out and will live to fight another day.”

In chess, playing with white pieces gives the player an advantage. It can be compared to serving in tennis. The player with white pieces makes the first move and as a result, dictates how the game will go. At the other end, the player with black pieces reacts to the strategy

Legendary Susan Polgar pointed out that the draw in Game 7 will benefit Ding Liren, who was on the ropes from the opening stages but manged a draw.

"This was a big miss by Gukesh. It was inexplicable to me why he did not play the simple 44. h4 instead of Ke1. Rule of thumb: 'If you have a running pawn, let it run FAST!' His King was better off on f1 so he can defend his bishop on f3 if needed. King on e1 did not really have a purpose," she said.

"Good save by Ding in time pressure. We are at the halfway mark with 3.5 points each. 7 games left with Ding having 4 white games."

Magnus Carlsen had described Game 6 of the World Chess Championship as a fantastic and thrilling encounter. He praised Gukesh's innovative opening.

He highlighted Gukesh's ambition and willingness to take risks.

“This was a fantastic game. Really couldn’t have asked for more. Best game of the match so far. One that really thrilled everybody,” Carlsen said on the Take Take Take app. “There was a fascinating idea from Gukesh in the opening and almost entirely new concept. Then he played a really good game until a certain point. Ding started fighting back and we got a fantastic back-and-forth battle. Ding found a lot resources.”

D Gukesh let go of a very promising position in the seventh game. The stalemate, which came after five hours and 22 minutes of nerve-wracking play, left both players on an identical tally of 3.5 points each, still shy of four more points in order to win the championship.

Liren, who was staring at a losing position for a long time, till Gukesh blundered. The Indian, playing white, got a huge advantage but miscalculated to let the Chinese off the hook in what was the longest game of the match thus far.

It was a miraculous save by Liren after getting into what the chess pundits termed as a lost rook and minor piece endgame.

The moves: D Gukesh vs Ding Liren

1.Nf3 d5 2.g3 g6 3.d4 Bg7 4.c4 c6 5.Bg2 Nf6 6.0–0 0–0 7.Re1 dxc4 8.e4 Bg4 9.Nbd2 c5 10.d5 e6 11.h3 Bxf3 12.Bxf3 exd5 13.exd5 Nbd7 14.Nxc4 b5 15.Na3 Qb6 16.Bf4 Rfe8 17.Qd2 Rad8 18.Nc2 Nf8 19.b4 c4 20.Be3 Qa6 21.Bd4 Rxe1+ 22.Rxe1 Qxa2 23.Ra1 Qb3 24.Ra3 Qb1+ 25.Kg2 Rd7 26.Ra5 Qb3 27.Ra3 Qb1 28.Ra5 Qb3 29.Rxb5 Qd3 30.Qf4 Qxc2 31.Bxf6 Qf5 32.Qxf5 gxf5 33.Bxg7 Kxg7 34.Rc5 Ng6 35.Rxc4 Ne5 36.Rd4 Nc6 37.Rf4 Ne7 38.b5 Kf6 39.Rd4 h6 40.Kf1 Ke5 41.Rh4 Nxd5 42.Rxh6 Nc3 43.Rc6 Ne4 44.Ke1 f6 45.h4 Rd3 46.Bd1 f4 47.gxf4+ Kxf4 48.Bc2 Rd5 49.Rc4 f5 50.Rb4 Kf3 51.Bd1+ Kg2 52.Rb3 Re5 53.f4 Re7 54.Re3 Rh7 55.h5 Nf6 56.Re5 Nxh5 57.Rxf5 Ng3 58.Rf8 Rb7 59.Ba4 Kf3 60.f5 Kf4 61.f6 Ne4 62.Bc2 Nd6 63.Rd8 Ke5 64.Bb3 Nf7 65.Rd5+ Kxf6 66.Kd2 Rb6 67.Bc4 Rd6 68.Kc3 Rxd5 69.Bxd5 Nd6 70.Kb4 Nxb5 71.Kxb5 a6+ 72.Kxa6 game drawn.

D Gukesh of India and Ding Liren of China signed peace after 72 moves in the seventh game of the World Chess Championship. It was the fifth draw of the showdown in Singapore

After seven rounds, Gukesh and Liren are locked on 3.5 points each. Liren won the first game and Gukesh the third. Rest of the games have finished in draws