Another draw deal

India GM D Gukesh and defending champion Ding Liren of China share points for the third time in a row; both are on three points after six rounds

Indian challenger D Gukesh held defending champion Ding Liren of China to a draw with black pieces in an intense sixth game of the World Chess Championship to remain level on points here Sunday. The third draw in a row left both players on an identical tally of three points apiece, still shy of 4.5 more points in order to win the championship. The two players signed peace after 46 moves. It was the fourth draw of the match.

It remains to be seen what strategy the players would opt for as the match moves towards the half-way mark. The 32-year-old Liren had won the opening game while the 18-year-old Gukesh had emerged victorious in the third game. The second, fourth and fifth games had ended in draws. With eight games still remaining in the 14-round match, the battle will resume after the second rest day on Monday. If the scores are tied after eight games, there is an extra day for tie-break games of shorter duration to decide the next world champion.

Also Read: Gelfand backing for chess stalwart D Gukesh

Gukesh later said he did not feel any real danger during the sixth game. “I knew this position till Rb8 [Black’s 16th move] and even though I did not know [the next] I thought maybe I am slightly worse but it should be really hard to convert it with white because you cannot push the queen side pawns easily and I always have play on his king. I wasn’t really that worried at any point,” Gukesh said in the post-game conference.

GM Arjun Erigaisi becomes second Indian to breach 2800 ELO rating; fourth in rankings

Grandmaster Arjun Erigaisi on Sunday became the second Indian after legendary Viswanathan Anand and 16th worldwide to reach the gold-standard ELO rating of 2800, while also occupying the fourth spot in the latest rankings. The 21-year-old has been in sensational form this year, having won an individual gold as well as a team title in India’s recent Chess Olympiad victory.

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