His teenage rival Gukesh Domarju beat China’s Ding Liren in the 11th game of their World Championship match, taking a crucial lead as the tournament entered the homestretch.
Gukesh, whose victory took him to 6-5 in just three games, was forced to drop Ding after the defending champion made an error under time pressure in Sunday’s match.
The win ended a streak of seven matches in a row and gave 18-year-old Gukesh a big psychological advantage going into the final stretch of the 14-match series.
“It’s obviously a very, very important victory,” said Gukesh, who was playing with the white pieces.
But he was also cautious, adding that “there are still three very important matches to go.”
Ding, 32, admitted it was a “very difficult match” for him, but added he will try to bounce back when he makes his debut for the Whites on Monday.
Both players were cautious from the start, making only five moves during the first hour of play. The Indian prodigy thought for an hour before taking the 11th step.
The players embarked on a thrilling, time-pressed match after nearly four hours, especially Ding, who had just under 10 minutes left in the time limit.
When the Chinese player resigned, Gukesh’s supporters gathered in the public area of the Resorts World Sentosa hotel in Singapore and burst into 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. »
If both players are tied at 14 games, the match will go to a tiebreaker, which will take place on December 13.
At his age, Gukesh is the youngest player in history to compete in a world championship and is looking to surpass Garry Kasparov as the youngest undisputed world chess champion.
