Indian Grandmaster Gukesh Bounces Back from Opening Loss to Ding Liren

Singapore, Wednesday - In game three of the World Chess Championship, Indian Grandmaster D.Gukesh Dommaraju continued his impressive form against defending champion Ding Liren of China, drawing a largely uneventful match despite facing pressure for much of the game.

Playing with black pieces, Gukesh staged an unexpected comeback after losing to Liren in the opener on Monday. This improvement was evident in Tuesday's game as well, where Liren failed to take any initiative and allowed Gukesh to focus solely on executing the basics, ultimately leading to a draw via repetition after 23 moves were completed.

Gukesh's resurgence comes as a surprise, as Liren did manage to take control in Monday's match. However, the Indian grandmaster remained calm under pressure, adapting his strategy effectively and creating chances for counterattacks.

The match is set to be decided after a total of 14 games, with both players currently at 7.5 points each. A win earns one point, while a draw awards half a point to both players. In the unlikely event of a tie after all 14 rounds, a decisive tiebreaker game will take place on Thursday.

The World Chess Championship between Gukesh and Liren marks a historic milestone - the first time two Asian players have faced each other in the championship match since 1884. This year's tournament boasts a prize fund of USD 2.5 million.