World Chess Championship: Calm Gukesh up against unpredictable Liren

D Gukesh and Ding Liren

The weight of expectations sits lightly on his teenaged shoulders and Grandmaster D Gukesh would bank heavily on his calm mind when he takes on Chinese Ding Liren in the World Championship showdown beginning here on Monday, aiming to become the first Indian after Viswanathan Anand to win the coveted title.

The majority of the chess world is rooting for the 18-year-old in-form Indian, who already displays the poise of a champion. What remains to be seen is how he handles the pressure during the fortnight-long showpiece.

If the first press conference held on Saturday afternoon was any indication, both players have immense respect for each other and yet, both are determined to give their best.

Liren had won a match of fluctuating fortunes against Ian Nepomniachtchi of Russia in 2023 to be crowned the world champion, but since then, the Chinese has suffered from mental health issues and competed very less compared to Gukesh in the last one year.

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"My job is pretty clear - just go into every game as the best version of myself and play the best moves in the position. If I do that, if I keep playing good chess and stay in the right spirits, even with his recent form dip or even at his best, I don't think it really matters," Gukesh said on Saturday. This year's tournament marks the first time in 138 years that two Asian players will be pitted against each other in the marquee clash, that is offering a prize fund of USD 2.5 million.

Liren, 32, who has admitted that Gukesh is the runaway favourite, expects an interesting battle. "He [Gukesh] is younger, but has displayed his virtue in many aspects. If we can both perform our best, it will be a great match," said Liren.

Gukesh will be looking to end a title drought for India, dating back to 2013, the year five-time champion Anand lost the crown to Norwegian superstar Magnus Carlsen.

$2.5m
Total prize fund for the final

All about the final

. Final will be best-of-14 games, starting from Nov 25 to Dec 12.
. The first to make 7.5 pts will be world champion.
. If the score is locked at 7-7 on Dec 12, tie-breaker will be played on Dec 13.
. All matches are at 14:30 India time and live on FIDE's social media handles and Chess.com

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