As the players approach the final stages of the match, we are witnessing increasingly cautious play. Neither opponent is willing to risk making a mistake that could undermine the efforts they have invested so far.
First to arrive at the venue this afternoon, exactly ten minutes before the start of the round, was the champion Ding Liren. Accompanied by his two main coaches, GM’s Ricard Rapport and Ni Hua, Ding underwent the anti-cheating body checks and then spent a few minutes meditating in the sunshine on a special chair outside the playing hall.
A few minutes later, the challenger Gukesh D, with his father and his main coach GM Grzegorz Gajewski, exited the lift and quickly joined his opponent at the board, ready for the game.
The master of ceremonies, GM Maurice Ashley, introduced the players and was joined by Mr Kon Yin Tong, Chair at Sport Singapore, for the ceremonial first move.
Kon Yin Tong served as a Sport Singapore council member from 2012 before becoming Deputy Chairman in 2016 and subsequently Chairman in October 2018. He has held roles with Sport Singapore as Finance Committee Chairman, and leads the Sports Excellence Scholarship selection and approval committee.
Perhaps a slight moment of doubt right at the beginning of the game, Ding Liren paused momentarily when executing his first move (1.d2-d4), which caught commentators’ attention. When asked about it after the game Ding explained with a grin: “I realized it was the same if I started with 1.Nf3 as he can also play 1…d5 like the previous games and I can transpose with 2.d4.”
Playing with White, the champion once again went for the London system, repeating the line he used in game six. This time, he tried out a relatively unconventional idea: 5.Be2, followed by 6.dxc5 and 7.c4 - a setup previously used by his second, GM Richard Rapport.
“This opening is one of my second’s ideas - apart from this line, I had also prepared for the other line,” Ding revealed after the game.
"Pawn to Ding Four," was commentator GM David Howell’s reaction to the champion's opening. “This is the third time in the history of the World Championship Matches that we have seen the London System, and all three of them have been played by Ding.”
A few moves later, the pawn structure resembled one of the many lines of the Queen’s Gambit Accepted, but with White’s c1-bishop developed outside the pawn chain. A quick scan of the database revealed a couple of games played by Ding’s second GM Richard Rapport in this same line, against GM’s Aronian and Shankland in 2018-2019.
“Black’s position is very solid; it has no weaknesses. White has a very small dynamical advantage, slightly better development. He has to take advantage of this momentum to develop some initiative,” said GM Pavel Eljanov, former coach of many top players such as Boris Gelfand and Anna Muzychuk.
However, Ding Liren didn’t seem in the mood to play an attacking game. He quickly found an opportunity to exchange queens and a couple of minor pieces, inflicting a very small pawn weakness on his opponent’s kingside – it definitely didn’t seem enough to press for a win. “I thought I had a stable advantage but after 11…Be7 it’s not the case. My bishop is very bad,” Ding admitted.
“Ding is looking for a small but absolutely risk-free advantage. Keeping the queens on the board was much more ambitious,” Eljanov added. “It’s like going into one of those Norwegian homes with barely any furniture, it’s just minimalism,” joked Howell with Jovanka.
But with no real chance for a favorable outcome, Ding exchanged queens and liquidated to a totally equal ending. The game ended in a draw by a threefold repetition on move thirty-six.
“Obviously, I am up for a game with either color, but to get a solid draw like this with Black is obviously a good result,” said Gukesh after the game.
After ten of the fourteen scheduled classical games, the match remains tied at 5-5. The eleventh game will take place on Sunday, December 8th at 5 PM local time in Singapore, with Gukesh playing White.
FACT SHEET, Game 10, FIDE World Championship:
White: Ding Liren
Black: Gukesh D
Result: 0.5-0.5
Game length: 36 moves
Opening: London System
Match score: 5-5
Although the FIDE World Championship takes central stage, the local organizers along with FIDE have arranged a wide range of side events for all the fans coming to Sentosa for the match.
On the agenda this afternoon, GM’s Alexandra Kosteniuk and Anna Muzychuk played a 20-board tandem simultaneous exhibition for VIP ticket holders, achieving 18 wins and 2 draws.
Additionally, GM Pavel Eljanov joined the official commentary and gave his thoughts on the game in progress, and then joined GM Maurice Ashley in the fan-zone, providing entertainment for the onsite spectators.
Written by IM Michael Rahal (Singapore)
Photos: Eng Chin An, Maria Emelianova and Singapore Open
Official website: worldchampionship.fide.com/
Full programme of side-events: worldchampionship.fide.com/events
About the event
Current World Champion Ding Liren, representing China, and challenger Gukesh D, from India, face each other in a fourteen-game classical chess match. The player who scores 7.5 points or more will win the match, picking up the better part of the $2.5 million total prize fund.
The first of the fourteen scheduled games took place on Monday, November 25 at 5 pm with Gukesh opening with White. Hosted at the luxurious Resorts World Sentosa the match is broadcast live with expert commentary on the FIDE YouTube Channel.
