World Chess Championship: Ding Liren at peace, Gukesh hungry and Magnus Carlsen casts a shadow before battle between ‘Chinese dragon’ and ‘Indian tiger’

“The fans present gave maine a batch of gifts, including hand-written letters,” said the Chinese GM with a smile. “In China too, galore players recorded a video to cheer maine up. They gave maine immoderate energy.”

These were the benignant of pick-me-ups the satellite champion needed. Ding has spent months since helium became satellite champion successful April past twelvemonth grappling with issues disconnected the board. He’s publically spoken retired astir being depressed. He’s gone done a wretched tally of signifier astatine events similar the Chess Olympiad successful Budapest, struggling to person winning positions and clutching lone astatine draws. Magnus Carlsen, the antheral whose crown Ding inherited aft a forfeit from the Norwegian, has said that Ding is inactive recovering from winning the satellite championship.

Ding revealed that helium spent Friday analysing his games implicit the past year, and they painted a grim picture.

“Yesterday, I reviewed my games from caller times and saw that the prime of games that I played was low. My warring tone was not that high. I made galore abbreviated draws and I besides drew successful overmuch amended positions. I don’t cognize what the nonstop reasons are. I was acold from my highest performance. (In the coming days) I mean to reappraisal immoderate of my champion games to regain immoderate inspiration and spot however I tin bushed specified beardown players. I request to regain that benignant of assurance and warring tone to execute better,” said Ding.

But helium struck a hopeful enactment astatine the property conference.

“Going into the past World Chess Championship, I was precise nervous. But this time, I consciousness astatine peace. A batch of energy. Hope we tin enactment up galore breathtaking matches similar past time,” said the Chinese champion.

The teen who volition beryllium crossed the committee from Ding implicit the adjacent 3 weeks looked remarkably calm, considering the value of the occasion.

“The World Chess Championship is simply a precise peculiar event. There are surely immoderate nerves. But I consciousness bully astir it. I’m anxious to commencement playing,” said Gukesh. “Won’t accidental I’m ace calm. This is simply a large event, I’m ace excited. I’m definite I volition beryllium tense (when the lawsuit starts). But I tin grip immoderate benignant of nerves. Even if my bosom is beating accelerated and I americium nervous, I cognize I tin grip that. I americium assured successful my skills. I don’t person thing to interest about.”

The drafting of tons has concluded:
🇮🇳 Gukesh D plays White successful crippled 1; 🇨🇳 Ding Liren plays Black! #DingGukesh

The enactment astatine the FIDE World Championship, presented by Google, starts connected November 25 with the archetypal game. pic.twitter.com/EDSbbjyWRX

— International Chess Federation (@FIDE_chess) November 23, 2024

Opening gambit

Plenty of apical grandmasters person said that the destiny of this satellite title volition beryllium decided by however the archetypal games cookware out, and however Ding was feeling.

“For me, it’s beauteous wide who I americium facing. Ding has been 1 of the champion players successful the satellite for implicit a decade. My occupation is beauteous clear: spell to each crippled arsenic the champion mentation of myself and play the champion moves successful position. Play bully chess, play successful the close spirit. If I americium doing the close things, nary substance what mentation sits successful beforehand of maine — his caller signifier dip oregon whether he’s astatine his champion – it doesn’t truly substance to me. If I americium doing the close things, I volition person each the chances successful the world,” said a self-assured-looking Gukesh.

The property league was lacking successful melodramatic flourish. No cards were revealed. Both players were understandably tight-lipped astir their teams. No salvos were fired astatine the opponent. FIDE president Arkady Dvorkovich did effort to hype up the conflict aboriginal successful the time arsenic a conflict betwixt the ‘Indian tiger and the Chinese dragon’. At the opening ceremony, Gukesh drew achromatic for the archetypal game.

Carlsen’s shadiness has besides been conspicuous. The erstwhile satellite champion is successful Singapore playing successful a freestyle chess event. Both players were asked much than erstwhile astir his comments astir not having the appetite to enactment himself done the grind needed to vie successful a lucifer of the stature of the World Chess Championship.

Gukesh, though, dismissed specified talk.

“Where Magnus and I travel from is precise different, due to the fact that Magnus has been doing this for much than 10 years. This is my first! All caller for me. So it was casual to beryllium excited astir this and bask the process compared to Magnus. I emotion chess,” helium said earlier adding: “I don’t person overmuch of a idiosyncratic life. My full beingness revolves astir chess. My lone occupation is to play chess.”