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At a pivotal moment, it seemed possible for Gukesh to accept a draw, after Ding had played two repetitions, but the Indian declined the offer, and kept pushing
Ding Liren (left), the reigning world champion, will defend his title against rising star D Gukesh of India. (AFP Photo)
It was a long arduous road, but another one that led to a destination that has becomed far too familiar, as Ding Liren and D Gukesh opted to share the spoils yet again for the third game in a row, as Game 6 of the World Chess Championship ended in a draw.
Liren, playing with the white pieces, got off to a strong opening, with Gukesh blundering early on to put himself in jeopardy. But the Indian backed himself to sort his way out of the mess and finally ended up seeing the light of day in a hard-fought draw.
“I knew the position till I played Rb8 in the opening. But, I never really felt in danger. I thought that I was slightly worse, but it was going to be really hard for Ding to convert with white. So, I was not too worried,” stated Gukesh in the post-game presser.
At a pivotal moment, it seemed possible for Gukesh to accept a draw, after Ding had played two repetitions, but the Indian declined the offer, and kept pushing, a decision that would turn out to be beneficial for the Indian.
“I just thought I always had a counterplay. Since, he was going for repetition, I thought I could break it and make a new move after the second time.”
With three draws in a row, and the scores tied at 3-3, some seemed to question whether the spotlight was too bright for the likes of Gukesh to shine.
But, the Indian GM maintained his self-belief, stating that there remains a long road ahead before any decisive outcome arrives.
“The World Championships is probably the toughest event, there’s more at stake and hence, more nerves. But, apart from that, I think it’s just a very interesting match with a great opponent. So, at the end of the day, it’s just chess,” reaffirmed Gukesh.
“It’s been an equal match so far, and considering that I was trialing after the first game, I’m happy to be here. But, there’s a long road ahead, since we’re not even halfway into the match yet.”
Both players shall yet again have an opportunity to recalibrate and relax, as they have a rest day to look forward to before the match reaches it’s halfway point: Game 7.