Chess World Championship: D Gukesh bounces back, holds Ding Liren to draw in Game 2

“We will not stand by as Hindus are suppressed in Bangladesh,” he said.

BJP leader Dilip Ghosh also criticised the arrest, stating, “There is an attempt to suppress the Hindu community in Bangladesh. Chinmoy Krishna Das opposed this suppression, and now he has been detained under false charges.”

Indian Grandmaster D Gukesh bounced back after a tough start to the World Championship, holding defending champion Ding Liren to a draw in Game 2 on Tuesday, November 26. Playing with black pieces, Gukesh and Liren played out a draw after a threefold repetition — a rule that allows a player to claim a draw if the same position occurs three times during the game.

The youngest challenger for the World Championship title, D Gukesh, 18, was visibly relieved and elated after managing to avoid back-to-back defeats early in the 10-game championship match.

In the opening game of the World Championship match, Gukesh, playing with white pieces, squandered time advantage and slipped to a defeat. It as a big dampener to Gukesh as Ding Liren had been struggling for form in classical chess in the lead-up to the World Championship match. In fact, Liren’s win on Monday was his first in a classical game after over 300 days.

“Draw with black in the world championship match is always nice and it’s too early, we still have a long match,” Gukesh said after the second game in Singapore.

Gukesh played down talks of pressure of being the youngest challenger and said he is focussed on one game at a time.

“There is obviously some pressure for anyone playing in a World Championship; there is a lot of pressure. But I also see it as a privilege that I can represent so many people and my country. And ya, it would be a very nice achievement, obviously, if I win the match. I am just focusing on one game at a time. Hopefully, things go my way,” he added.

Gukesh, who will play with white on Wednesday, will be looking to get more aggressive and push Liren and close the one-point deficit.

Liren said he is ready for the fight: “I think it will be a big fight tomorrow – he’s a point down and he will have the white pieces, so I’m ready for a fight.”