Ding Liren's bid to extend his World Chess Championship lead was thwarted as Game 2 against Gukesh Dommaraju ended in a 23-move draw in Singapore. After securing victory in Game 1, the defending champion now finds himself ahead 1.5-0.5 against Gukesh, with up to 12 classical games still to be played.
Gukesh, who played Black, mounted a robust defense and expressed satisfaction with the draw, which was concluded after approximately three hours. "At this stage, with Black, a win was not a necessity," remarked the 18-year-old challenger. "I had no intention of making any reckless moves." Ding, on the other hand, was also content with the result, admitting he had felt somewhat unsettled during the game. "I was experiencing some ups and downs," he said. "I felt slightly worse in the middle game and thought I might have misplayed." Despite briefly holding an advantage on the board, having played his first 10 moves swiftly, Ding did not appear eager to force a win.
Gukesh will take on White in Wednesday's Game 3 and seems optimistic about the current situation. "Today was a good day – hopefully, there will be many more to come," said the Indian world No 5.
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