Singapore, Nov 27: Indian Grandmaster D Gukesh bounced back to draw the second game against defending champion Ding Liren of China in the World Chess Championship here on Tuesday.Playing with black pieces, Gukesh made a comeback of sorts, having lost to Liren in the opener of the 14-game showdown, on Monday.
“Draw with black in the world championship match is always nice and it’s too early, we still have a long match,” the Chennai-based GM said in the post-game press conference.
The 18-year-old Gukesh is the youngest ever challenger to the world crown and is looking to become the first Indian after the iconic Viswanathan Anand to win the title.
“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,” he said.
“I am just focusing on one game at a time. Hopefully, things go my way,” he added.
The first player to reach 7.5 points among the two will claim the coveted crown in the USD 2.5 million prize money event.
Anand, who has played a major role in shaping Gukesh’s career, held the title five times in his illustrious career.
The 32-year-old Liren, on his part, said he was happy with how he performed in the second round.
“In the first game I played something new in the opening and of course it requires a lot of memory. Today I also played not a common move (for me) 1.e4 and I prepared a lot,” he said.
Gukesh on Tuesday said he is focussed on taking it one game at a time and is hoping for “many more good days” as he aims to upstage Ding Liren and become the youngest world champion in chess.
Playing with black pieces, the 18-year-old Gukesh bounced back to draw the second game against defending champion Liren of China in the World Chess Championship here.
This was a day after Liren (black) exploited Gukesh’s blunder in a French Defense match to clinch the first game.
“Today was a good day, and hopefully, we will have many more good days coming,” Gukesh said at the end of the second game.
Gukesh has thanked his second, Grzegorz Gajewski, for the manner in which he has been helping the Indian in his endeavour.
“‘Gaju’ (Gajewski) is not only helping me with chess, but also helping me get ready mentally and to keep my well-being. He said a few things which helped me recover quickly,” Gukesh said of the Polish GM, who was beaten by the Indian when they met at the World Rapid Championships in 2019.
Gukesh said he is privileged to be able to represent his country in the World Championship and the pressure that comes with it.
“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 yeah, 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 said after the second round.
It was a good recovery by Gukesh as Liren could do very little with his white pieces and had to share the point.
“Draw with black in the world championship match is always nice and it’s too early, we still have a long match,” the Chennai-based GM said in the post-game press conference.
“I think after I was surprised in the opening, I reacted pretty decently, and I didn’t give him any chances. It was a solid game with black, which is nice.
“I have seen a lot of world championship matches with players playing inside a cube, luckily, I am playing and not watching it.
“I think I will try to play a good game, because after all the only thing you can do to win is to play a good game,” he added.
Liren was quite pragmatic after the game.