A remarkable Ding Liren error under time constraints handed Gukesh Dommaraju a crucial victory in Sunday's Game 11 of their world title match, positioning the Indian challenger on the cusp of history with a 6-5 lead and three games left. The action commenced swiftly as Gukesh, playing white, initiated with 1 Kf3, while Ding countered with the bold 2...d4, setting the stage for a dynamic and thrilling contest following Friday's uneventful draw. The 32-year-old reigning champion from Zhejiang province deliberated for over 38 minutes on his response to 4 e3 (4...Nf6), followed by another 22 minutes on his fifth move (5...Bg4), falling more than an hour behind on the clock. The position after seven moves was unprecedented in chess history.
However, Gukesh soon found himself under time pressure, spending more than an hour on his 11th move. This was followed by the inaccuracy 15 Rd1, leaving him struggling to coordinate his queenside and facing a severe time constraint, with less than 25 minutes to complete 25 moves before the time control. Yet, Gukesh maintained his composure and accuracy, aided by Ding's misstep 21...Rd7. The turning point arrived when Ding faltered on his 28th move with just seven minutes remaining, committing the blunder 28...Qc8??. Gukesh seized the opportunity immediately, executing the correct capture (29 Qxc6), leading to Ding's resignation within seconds and his swift exit from the playing hall.
"It's a very challenging game for me," Ding admitted. The outcome sparked celebrations outside the sound-proof booth and the adjacent fan zone, where the crowds, filled with many Gukesh supporters, were at their largest on the weekends. The fifth-ranked Gukesh, an 18-year-old from Chennai, is vying to break the record for the youngest undisputed world champion, currently held by Garry Kasparov, who was 22 when he defeated Anatoly Karpov in their 1985 rematch in Moscow.
Ding entered the three-week match having gone 28 classical games without a win, slipping to 23rd in the world rankings and prompting oddsmakers to rate him as a 3-1 underdog. However, he delivered a significant surprise in Game 1 by winning as black, ending a 10-month winless streak and launching an exciting opening salvo. Game 2 concluded in a draw, before Gukesh secured a win in Game 3. The subsequent games, from the fourth to the tenth, each ended in draws. The competition resumes on Monday with Ding playing white in Game 11. The first to reach seven and a half points will be crowned champion in the world title match at Resorts World Sentosa, an island resort off Singapore's southern coast. A full report will follow.
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