World Chess Championship LIVE Updates, Game 2: Ding Liren in ...

Ding has a time advantage of 46 minutes already. 

Let’s try to understand what Ding might be thinking. After moving his rook to c1, he might be eying Gukesh’s c5 pawn with a knight manoeuvre with the following sequence.

The queens are off the board after Gukesh trades it in the 12th move and is also offering a rook exchange. Too early to say, but is this game heading to a draw?

The Italian Game is very popular and one of the oldest openings in chess. White develops the bishop to a good square where it controls a valuable diagonal in the centre and targets Black’s f7-pawn. This move also clears the way for early kingside castling. This opening is very easy to study and one of the best choices for beginners. Black has a few responses here, but the most played are 3. Nf6, the Two Knights Defense, which ironically can lead to rather sharp lines, and 3. Bc5, the Giuoco Piano, which focuses on quiet play and developing pieces, though the Evans Gambit can subvert that.

-Lichess

1. e4 e5 

2. Nf3 Nc6 

3. Bc4 Bc5

4. d3 Nf6 

5. Nc3 a6

6. a4 d6

7. O-O h6 

8. Be3 Be6

9. a5 Bxc4

10. dxc4 O-O

Okay, so we do have an update. Gukesh has arrived at the venue, in fact he has already got inside the fishtank (playing room). He has been seen adjusting his chair, signed the scoresheet, adjusting his pieces and is all set for the big second game. 

What’s been your observation of Gukesh, especially given his monk-like personality during tournaments? His ability to cut himself off from the outside world is quite remarkable for his age.

I’ve been very impressed with his maturity and his thinking, specifically in his self-awareness of what he’s thinking about, and what’s going on for him. He definitely has a self-awareness that is beyond his years. Obviously, he’s a chess genius. But he’s got an amazing self-awareness and ability to self-regulate.

A lot of chess players, I imagine, are naturally quite introverted and his personality is almost like Jacques Kallis’. Kallis could stay in his own bubble, unaffected by what was happening around him, and Gukesh has that same quality. But what’s special about Gukesh is that big moments really seem to bring out his best. In sports, we often talk about “big-match temperament,” where high-stakes situations bring out peak performance.

You have guys like Virat Kohli who have that ability to really deliver in a World Cup final exactly like he did earlier this year. He had a very average tournament but then when the final came, you can look to someone like him and the way he steps up. I think back to the 2011 World Cup, when (M.S.) Dhoni and (Gautam) Gambhir were the two players — someone who steps up when the pressure is highest. For Gukesh, these big moments in chess seem to have a similar effect, pushing him to perform at his peak. His performances in the Olympiad and the Candidates show that, when the stakes are high, he finds his best form.

The beauty of sport lies in surprises.

And surprise was the major theme on the opening day of the World Chess Championship at Resorts World Sentosa, Singapore, on Monday. It all began with the opening itself of the opening game. The defending champion Ding Liren opted for French Defence against his young challenger D. Gukesh.

That is not known as Ding’s favourite opening from the black side. He had used it once in his World Championship match against Ian Nepomniachtchi last year and had lost that game.

Read P.K. Ajith Kumar’s full report here: 

Game 1 - November 25, 2024 - Monday: Ding Liren beat Gukesh

Game 2 - November 26, 2024 - Tuesday 

Game 3 - November 27, 2024 - Wednesday 

Rest Day - November 28, 2024 - Thursday 

Game 4 - November 29, 2024 - Friday 

Game 5 - November 30, 2024 - Saturday 

Game 6 - December 1, 2024 - Sunday 

Rest Day - December 2, 2024 - Monday 

Game 7 - December 3, 2024 - Tuesday 

Game 8 - December 4, 2024 - Wednesday 

Game 9 - December 5, 2024 - Thursday 

Rest Day - December 6, 2024 - Friday 

Game 10 - December 7, 2024 - Saturday 

Game 11 - December 8, 2024 - Sunday 

Game 12 - December 9, 2024 - Monday 

Rest Day - December 10, 2024 - Tuesday 

Game 13 - December 11, 2024 - Wednesday 

Game 14 - December 12, 2024 - Thursday 

Tie-breaks (If needed) - December 13, 2024 - Wednesday

Where to watch the D. Gukesh vs Ding Liren World Chess Championship 2024 matches?

The World Chess Championship 2024 match between Gukesh and Ding will be streamed on FIDE social media handles (YouTube, Twitch), Chess.com social media handles (YouTube, Twitch) etc. 

You can follow all the live action, commentary, moves and live chess board widgets on Sportstar’s daily match blog.

Hello and welcome to Sportstar’s live coverage of the World Chess Championship, where India’s D. Gukesh will take on reigning champion China’s Ding Liren in Game 2 at the Resorts World Sentosa in Singapore on Tuesday.

In a surprising result yesterday, Gukesh was handed a crushing loss by Ding with black pieces. The 18-year-old Indian prodigy will have the black pieces now, let’s see how he strikes back.