[Event "WCC Match 2024"] [White "Ding, Liren"] [Black "Gukesh Dommaraju"] [Site "Singapore"] [Round "14.1"] [Annotator "Sundararajan Kidambi"] [Result "0-1"] [Date "2024.12.12"] [ECO "D02"] [WhiteElo "2728"] [BlackElo "2783"] [PlyCount "116"] [GameId "2122234194558422"] [EventDate "2024.11.18"] [EventType "match"] [EventCountry "SIN"] [SourceTitle "playchess.com"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceQuality "1"] [TimeControl "40/7200:1800+30"] {Ding mentioned on the previous day that the last round game would not be a short draw.} 1. Nf3 $5 {[%emt 0:00:09] Ding goes for Reti, which in principle is not too different from his choice of English in game 12. White perhaps wants a long drawn out battle without too many exchanges.} (1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. e3 Bg7 6. Nxd5 Qxd5 7. Ne2) 1... d5 {[%emt 0:00:11]} 2. g3 {[%emt 0:00:04]} c5 {[%emt 0:01:58]} 3. Bg2 {[%emt 0:00:07]} Nc6 {[%emt 0:00:08]} 4. d4 {[%emt 0:00:06] White goes for a reversed Grunfeld or Catalan setup, of which Ding is an expert at!} e6 {[%emt 0:00:10]} 5. O-O {[%emt 0:01:08]} cxd4 {[%emt 0:00:07]} 6. Nxd4 {[%emt 0:00:10]} Nge7 $5 {[%emt 0:00:07] [#] As in every other game, Gukesh is the first to surprise the opponent. This idea is also occurs in the reverse of the current opening- Gruenfeld.} 7. c4 $1 {[%emt 0:12:49] White has to do the central break, no matter what!} Nxd4 $1 {[%emt 0:00:08]} 8. Qxd4 {[%emt 0:00:05]} Nc6 {[%emt 0:00:05] White is slightly better.} 9. Qd1 $5 {[%emt 0:05:25] White plays a very natural move and is not trying anything sophisticated in trying to being accurate and ensuring an advantage. In a way this takes Gukesh out of his main line preparation.} (9. Qd2 $5) (9. Qf4 $5) (9. Qd3 Ne5 10. Qc2 Nxc4 11. e4 $1) 9... d4 {[%emt 0:00:14]} 10. e3 {[%emt 0:00:13]} Bc5 {[%emt 0:07:10] This was the first moment where Gukesh started thinking a little bit. One can assume he was either out of his preparation or did not remember the same.} (10... e5 11. exd4 exd4 12. Re1+ Be7 {is another way to play in analogy with the Gruenfeld defence.}) 11. exd4 {[%emt 0:18:30]} Bxd4 {[%emt 0:00:30]} 12. Nc3 {[%emt 0:03:27]} O-O {[%emt 0:01:30]} 13. Nb5 {[%emt 0:00:07]} Bb6 $6 {[%emt 0:13:28] Played after thirteen minutes of thought, and out of his preparation Gukesh does not choose the best option among various alternatives he had. After retreating the bishop the position is one of typical Catalan pressure. White has a queenside majority and the problem of developing the bishop on c8, is not so easy to solve.} (13... Bf6 14. Be3 $1 Bxb2 15. Rb1 {gives white a good initiative.}) ({If he did want to retreat his bishop} 13... Bc5 $5 {would have been a slightly better square, leaving the b6 square open for the queen.}) ({But the best available option was} 13... e5 $1 {where black is okay to give up his bishop pair and even isolating his pawn or rather making it a passed one. But in doing so, the development of the light square bishop becomes easier. This idea is also known from the Gruenfeld Defence.} 14. Nxd4 exd4) 14. b3 {[%emt 0:10:54] Ding plays a natural move after ten minutes of thought. In essence it is not wrong, but it is also not the most critical move.} (14. Qe2 $1 a6 15. Rd1 Qe7 16. Nc3 {I had a feeling Ding was worried about some ideas connected with Nd4 later on, but concretely speaking it does not work. He probably did not focus a lot of attention here, but instead deciding to play by hand. Another thing to note is that if Black decides to go for e5, he will have to contend with White's knight landing on d5 which is a big problem.} Nd4 17. Qe4 f5 18. Qd3 $16 {and Black has created central weaknesses and looks shaky.}) 14... a6 {[%emt 0:07:43]} 15. Nc3 {[%emt 0:05:54]} Bd4 {[%emt 0:00:28]} 16. Bb2 {[%emt 0:00:11]} e5 {[%emt 0:00:20][%mdl 32]} 17. Qd2 {[%emt 0:00:26]} Be6 {[%emt 0:02:05]} 18. Nd5 {[%emt 0:01:49]} b5 {[%emt 0:09:15] Gukesh plays ambitiously. He wants to dislodge the pawn supporting the central knight outpost on d5.} 19. cxb5 $6 {[%emt 0:10:10] At this point Ding decided to shut down the game and steer towards a draw. This was very strange as he had a way to play a very safe and pleasant position with the strong knight on d5! With the score turning back to equal, Ding loses his confidence back and wants to steer towards the tiebreaks.} ({A natural continuation would be} 19. Bxd4 Nxd4 20. f4 $1 {White tries the same thing that Black tried on the other flank- to destabilise Black's knight outpost on the central d4-square.} bxc4 21. bxc4 Rc8 22. Rac1 f6 23. Qe3 $14 {White's strong Bishop on g2 supports the knight on d5, the same thing cannot be said for the black's knight on d4. This gives White a slight advantage.}) 19... axb5 {[%emt 0:01:24]} 20. Nf4 {[%emt 0:00:07]} exf4 {[%emt 0:03:26]} 21. Bxc6 {[%emt 0:00:18]} Bxb2 {[%emt 0:02:21]} 22. Qxb2 {[%emt 0:00:03]} Rb8 {[%emt 0:00:36]} 23. Rfd1 {[%emt 0:03:56]} Qb6 {[%emt 0:00:38]} 24. Bf3 {[%emt 0:09:36]} ({White could have offered trade of Bishops with} 24. Bd5) ({or} 24. Bd7 {This would have steered the game surely towards a draw. As many commentators including Magnus pointed out, once you have decided on a draw, you should be ruthless about it :-)}) 24... fxg3 {[%emt 0:00:24]} 25. hxg3 {[%emt 0:00:03]} b4 {[%emt 0:00:15]} 26. a4 $6 {[%emt 0:06:08] A very puzzling decision, showing Ding's state of mind, in his eagerness to somehow or the other to get a draw he is alright to defend an endgame pawn down, rather than maintaining the equal and safe position in the middlegame.} (26. Rd4) 26... bxa3 $15 {[%emt 0:00:31]} 27. Rxa3 {[%emt 0:00:11]} g6 {[%emt 0:00:42]} 28. Qd4 {[%emt 0:02:30]} Qb5 $1 {[%emt 0:02:12] Gukesh rightly avoids queen exchange for the moment.} (28... Qxd4 29. Rxd4 Bxb3 30. Bd5 $1 Bxd5 31. Rxd5 {exchange of Bishops simplifies white's defensive task by far.}) 29. b4 {[%emt 0:01:45]} Qxb4 {[%emt 0:00:48]} 30. Qxb4 {[%emt 0:00:03]} Rxb4 {[%emt 0:00:06]} 31. Ra8 {[%emt 0:00:34]} Rxa8 {[%emt 0:02:17]} 32. Bxa8 {[%emt 0:00:04][%mdl 4096] Endgame. KRB-KRB} g5 $5 {[%emt 0:05:16]} (32... Rb5 {to avoid Bd5 and improving the position with h5 g5 Kg7 etc was Leko's choice here.}) 33. Bd5 {[%emt 0:00:28]} Bf5 {[%emt 0:00:06]} 34. Rc1 {[%emt 0:02:45]} Kg7 {[%emt 0:01:17]} 35. Rc7 {[%emt 0:01:22]} Bg6 {[%emt 0:00:05]} 36. Rc4 {[%emt 0:00:48]} Rb1+ {[%emt 0:07:26]} 37. Kg2 {[%emt 0:00:18]} Re1 {[%emt 0:00:52] [#] Another important moment pointed out by Carlsen.} 38. Rb4 {[%emt 0:07:11] Instead,white could have fixed the kingside pawn on g4, this would mean that there would be atleast one pair of pawns being exchanged. But Ding decides to just wait with his current structure.} (38. g4 $1 {would have made it easier to draw}) 38... h5 {[%emt 0:00:27]} 39. Ra4 {[%emt 0:01:46]} Re5 {[%emt 0:00:48]} 40. Bf3 {[%emt 0:00:00]} Kh6 {[%emt 0:00:00]} 41. Kg1 {[%emt 0:07:15]} Re6 {[%emt 0:01:40]} 42. Rc4 {[%emt 0:00:45]} g4 {[%emt 0:00:26]} 43. Bd5 {[%emt 0:02:06]} Rd6 {[%emt 0:01:06]} 44. Bb7 {[%emt 0:09:01]} Kg5 {[%emt 0:00:22]} 45. f3 {[%emt 0:00:44] understandably White goes for this pawn break. He does not want to sit and wait for Black slowly pushing his pawns up the board like h5-h4 then f5-f4 etc.} f5 {[%emt 0:02:11]} 46. fxg4 {[%emt 0:00:21]} hxg4 {[%emt 0:00:06]} 47. Rb4 {[%emt 0:04:36]} Bf7 {[%emt 0:00:12]} 48. Kf2 {[%emt 0:02:24]} Rd2+ {[%emt 0:00:25]} 49. Kg1 {[%emt 0:00:08]} Kf6 {[%emt 0:00:38]} 50. Rb6+ {[%emt 0:00:12]} Kg5 {[%emt 0:01:36]} 51. Rb4 $1 {[%emt 0:00:04]} Be6 {[%emt 0:00:19]} 52. Ra4 {[%emt 0:04:47]} Rb2 {[%emt 0:03:05]} 53. Ba8 {[%emt 0:03:14]} Kf6 {[%emt 0:00:14]} 54. Rf4 {[%emt 0:00:44]} Ke5 {[%emt 0:00:13] Black is more active.} 55. Rf2 $2 {[%emt 0:00:16][%mdl 8192] The fateful blunder that cost Ding his World Champion title. But the mistake is very understandable, he was under pressure for a long time in this game, and he had no clear way out to draw and get away. Rook exchanges work 99 percent of the time(except now when the bishop will also be exchanged as it is cornered on a8!) His body language showed the tremendous pressure he was under.} ({Interesting never moving the rook away from f4 and just moving the bishop on the a8-h1 diagonal was enough for a draw here, as it is a fortress. At best Black could exchange his bishop on e4, but even that would lose the g4-pawn and White would come in time for a long side Rook checks draw.} 55. Bg2 Rb3 56. Kf2 Rb2+ 57. Kg1 Ba2 58. Bc6 Bb1 59. Bg2 Be4 60. Bxe4 fxe4 61. Rxg4 Kd4 62. Rg8 Ke3 63. Ra8 $11) 55... Rxf2 $1 {[%emt 0:02:12]} 56. Kxf2 {[%emt 0:00:02]} Bd5 {[%emt 0:00:03]} 57. Bxd5 {[%emt 0:00:10]} Kxd5 {[%emt 0:00:01]} 58. Ke3 {[%emt 0:00:53]} Ke5 {[%emt 0:00:07] Weighted Error Value: White=0.21 (precise) /Black=0.05 (flawless) . Loses game: White=1 --- Mistake: White=2 --- Inaccurate: White=1 Black=2 OK: White=18 Black=16 Best: White=1 Black=5 Strong: White=1 Black=2} (58... Ke5 59. Kd3 f4 60. Ke2 f3+ $1 61. Kf2 Ke4 62. Kf1 f2 $1 $19 {is a standard, yet an instructive and the only way to win this position.}) 0-1