Indian teenage challenger Gukesh Dommaraju emerged victorious against China's Ding Liren in the eleventh game of their world championship match on Sunday, securing a crucial lead as the tournament approached its conclusion.
Gukesh, who now holds a 6-5 advantage with only three games remaining, forced Ding to resign after the defending champion made a critical error under time pressure. This win broke a streak of seven consecutive draws and gave the 18-year-old Gukesh a significant psychological boost heading into the final matches of the 14-game series.
"Obviously, this is a very, very important win," Gukesh remarked, having played with the white pieces. However, he remained cautious, noting that "there are still three more very, very important games to go."
Ding, 32, acknowledged that the game was "very difficult" for him but expressed his intention to recover on Monday when he will have the first move with white. Both players exhibited caution from the outset, making only five moves in the first hour of play. Gukesh, the Indian prodigy, spent an hour contemplating before making his 11th move.
The game transitioned into a high-stakes time pressure scenario after nearly four hours, with Ding having just under 10 minutes remaining on his clock. Upon Ding's resignation, Gukesh's supporters at Singapore's Resorts World Sentosa hotel erupted in applause, chanting his name.
"Indian fans are the best. I'm really grateful for all the support... All these things give me the extra energy I need," Gukesh said.
Ding won the opening game on November 25, but Gukesh bounced back to claim game three after Ding lost on timing, failing to complete his first 40 moves within the allotted 120 minutes. If the players are tied after 14 games, the match will proceed to a tie-breaker, scheduled for December 13.
Ding made history as the first Chinese player to be crowned world champion when he defeated Russia's Ian Nepomniatchi in Kazakhstan last year. At his age, Gukesh is the youngest player ever to compete in the World Championship and aims to surpass Garry Kasparov as the youngest undisputed world chess champion.
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