Gukesh's comeback in World Chess Championship against Ding Liren isn't a surprise

Gukesh's win against Ding Liren in the third game of the World Chess Championship continues the rich tradition where India's Grandmasters have never been bogged down despite an early setback.

In Short

• Gukesh won Game 3 in brilliant fashion
• After a slow start, Gukesh has been able to level the Championship match
• Gukesh and Liren will have a rest day on November 28

By Siddharth Viswanathan

When Gukesh and Ding Liren both arrived in Singapore for the World Chess Championship, many analysts were saying that the Indian grandmaster is one of the favorites heading into the tournament. Even Ding Liren had stated in the Chess Olympiad that Gukesh was the favourite to be crowned the new world champion. There was tremendous anticipation that India's 12-year wait for a world champion would end.

But, everyone was in for a rude jolt when Gukesh lost in game 1 of the World Chess Championship. Was it nerves? Was it big game pressure? Or was the burden of history going to continue? Gukesh had never beaten Ding in classical chess. Plus, the Indian grandmaster never had experience of the World Championship like Ding. His pacy moves and blitzing through certain sections of the game indicated that he was probably having a lot of nervous energy. But, it opened up to blunders. Ultimately, one proved to be fatal.

This is where Gukesh is different from the rest. The calmness and the ability to bounce back from an adverse situation is something that has redefined him in 2024. He was not ruffled after the draw in game 2. In the press conference, he pointed out that it was a good day. The masterclass in game 3, in which he converted a complicated end game after the exchange of queens, showed Gukesh's versatility. In addition to Ding Liren not managing his time well, he lost under time to ensure he had suffered his first-ever loss to Gukesh.

Gukesh - Rest day Beast

The win in game 3 for Gukesh was very important. Firstly, he heads into a rest day on equal terms and in a magnificent mind space. In one of the videos where he is talking to five-time world champion Viswanathan Anand, Gukesh stated that his performance improves after a rest day. Now, that dynamic is very important for Gukesh.

In the Candidates, he had lost round 7 to Alireza Firoujza before the rest day. After that, he bounced back in grand style to win the Candidates tournament by half a point. The rest day dynamic repeated again. In Wijk Aan Zee Tata Steel tournament in 2024, Gukesh had lost two in a row before the rest day, including one to Ding Liren. After that, he managed to win three in a row to finish second after losing in the tiebreaks to Wei Yi.

Gukesh carries India's proud tradition of bouncing back

Whenever one looks at India's challenge in the World Chess Championship, there is a proud tradition in the 21st century from Indian grandmasters to bounce back in grand style.

Consider 2010 and 2012. The World Championships involving Viswanathan Anand with his opponents. In the 2010 World Chess Championship in Sofia against Vaselin Topalov, Anand lost the first game but ended up bouncing back in grand style by winning the second game in 43 moves.

In 2012, against Boris Gelfand in Moscow, the stalemate was not broken for five games. But in game 7, Gelfand managed to stun Anand. In game 8, though, Anand won the shortest ever game in the history of the World Chess Championships by beating Gelfand in just 17 moves.

Thus, it should come as no surprise that Gukesh has the ability to bounce back. The fact that he managed his time better and that the Queen's Gambit declined was an opening that Gukesh favoured. It was only a matter of time that he would be lying low. Thus, Gukesh pounced on Ding's panic, highlighted by spending 35 minutes on one move, which proved to be costly.

The high of 2024

Gukesh is aiming for a three-peat in 2024. Candidates winner, double gold medal in the Olympiad and is now gunning for the World Chess Championship title. The performances in the last 7 months has been spectacular from Gukesh.

If one needs an indication that he is in the zone and is capable of some brilliant chess, you need to go back to the game against Wei Yi in the Olympiad in Budapest. The end game masterclass and the way he pounced on the position was peak Gukesh playing with absolute assuredness.

Even in game 3, when Gukesh was closing his eyes and meditating, his ability to visualise the board and plan for moves much ahead is what put him in a great position. For all the highs from Toronto to Budapest, the crowning moment in Singapore is the biggest deal. If Gukesh continues like this, then the statement that a successor to Viswanathan Anand will be found.

But, the situation is at a stalemate. Gukesh has to hold his nerve as Ding will come back hard. The openings will be complicated, the middle and end games will be difficult to convert. Now, with 11 games to go, everything is on the line.