WCC Games 7-9: Gukesh Misses Multiple Opportunities

The 2024 FIDE World Chess Championship remains knotted up at 4½–4½ after nine rounds of the 14-game match. After trading victories in the first and third games, GMs Ding Liren and Gukesh Dommaraju have now played six consecutive draws. 

While Ding had some chances in games five and six, Gukesh had some serious chances during this block of games. Below are all three games, with annotations by IM Robert Shlyakhtenko. 

Game 7 might have been Gukesh's best chance for a win since he converted in game 3. His better preparation and advantage on the clock put Ding on the ropes, but a combination of nerves and resilience allowed Ding to hold on:

If some of the errors in game 7 hinted at fatigue as the match entered its second week, game 8 was a clear illustration of the psychological toll it is taking on both players. Once again, Gukesh jumped out to an early lead in the game, but, after some miscalculations, it was Ding who was once again on the cusp of victory. 

In the end, Ding had determined that his advantage had evaporated, and he began to push for a repetition. But Gukesh, despite having not had an advantage in the game for several hours by this point, tried to avoid repeating moves for as long as he could. Ultimately, he did not put himself in any real danger by avoiding a repetition shortly after the time control, but sometimes the line between bravery and foolishness can only be drawn in retrospect. 

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Despite being materially ahead and in no apparent danger, Ding surprised Gukesh by forcing a draw by repetition in game 8 (Photo courtesy Maria Emelianova/FIDE)

Compared to the previous two days, Thursday's game 9 was a relatively tame affair before a badly needed rest day (for both players, yes, but also for commentators, annotators, and editors!). Gukesh had one idea in a theoretical position, but it did not seem to pose Ding any problems. A more well-rested Ding would have likely not tried to force matters immediately in response, but one oversight by Gukesh on move 19 saw Ding equalize without any problems by move 21. The rook endgame that resulted was a formality:

The match resumes with game 10 on Saturday, December 7 at 3:00 a.m. CST. WGM Tatev Abrahamyan will be back to provide annotations for these games. Follow US Chess on X for updates on when each day's annotations are live, as well as other updates on the match. 

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