Ding strikes back in Game 12… match tied 6-6!
2024 World Chess Championship: Game 12
Monday, 9 December 2024
Ding scores clutch win, score tied 6-6!
China’s Ding Liren won a thrilling game over India’s Gukesh Dommaraju to tie the world chess championship match at 6-6. There are two classical games remaining with tiebreaks waiting in the event of a 7-7 tie. When hearing the pre-match predictions, it was clear that most (except a few) were choosing Gukesh to become the youngest world champion in history. These predictions were woefully off by a wide margin as many of the top players picked Gukesh to win comfortably because of his outstanding form and Ding’s lack thereof.
Photo by Eng Chin An
Greats are Not So Great at Commentary
A couple of former world champions (i.e., Garry Kasparov and Vladimir Kramnik) even stated that this match was not worthy of a world title. Magnus Carlsen, another former world champion, has been all over the map with his thoughts, from giving Gukesh a huge edge, being critical of Ding’s play, and then, after seven draws, declaring that Gukesh was no longer favored after Game 10. If he was the favorite initially, why wouldn’t he still be the favorite? That’s not how predictions work. After Gukesh won Game11, Carlsen proffered that Ding would most likely collapse.
From the game 11 recap @MagnusCarlsen pic.twitter.com/cyA5qKFMT6
— Take Take Take (@TakeTakeTakeApp) December 9, 2024
That was also off the mark.
While it is clear that few could accurately predict what was going to happen in Game 12, even fewer could’ve predicted the kind of game Ding would produce. It was a brilliant game for the ages. This makes up for the one-move blunder in the previous game. Many are finding it difficult to understand how Ding can continue to win on demand as he did against Ian Nepomniachtchi.
Several people at the press conference asked Ding how he was able to keep coming back after losing. He never gave a definitive response, but his insistence was to continue to play the best moves. He did mention that in the previous game, he ruined a great position after 15…g6. Perhaps these moments of indecision show a player trying to find his rhythm.
Ding Silences the Crowd
Nevertheless, let’s get into the game. The game appeared to be heading into a Catalan, with Ding being one of the foremost experts in the system. After black’s committal 4…d4, the tension was released and the white bishop on g2 had free reign. White maintained a comfortable edge in the center, and the black queen was unable to find any freedom to roam. This would become a defining theme in the game.
As white’s piece continued to probe squares, it appeared that black’s position was becoming untenable. So much so that Ding could’ve netted an exchange with 26.Na7 but played 26.d5! to tighten the vice. The black queen hardly played the entire game.
GM Daniel King reviews the action.
Video by GM Daniel King/PowerPlayChess
So a great result for Ding and for the match. This match has been unpredictable from the beginning, and the games have been very dynamic and, while not perfect, have been hard-fought. This match has exceeded expectations and is certainly title-worthy despite Kasparov’s comments. They certainly differ from the perfect draws seen in the Carlsen match against Karjakin (10/12 draws) and against Caruana (12/12 draws). Both matches needed tiebreaks.
Carlsen-Nepomniachtchi was disappointing after the Russian collapsed, losing three of the last four games. This match will go down to the last two games. Two Asian players from the most populous nations with the most recent Olympiad success show that we have entered a new era of chess. Whoever wins it will be good for chess. If Ding wins, he will have legitimized his crown. If Gukesh wins, we will officially have a historic result.
Of course, there has been criticism of Ding because of his recent tournament results. Although they have little to do with the match, some may have forgotten his class and the fact that he defeated a formidable opponent in Nepomniachtchi. He reminded them and even laughed a bit.
Ding Liren read some comments on the internet yesterday, including, "You should retire!" ?#DingGukesh pic.twitter.com/tS9JgCSTCd
— chess24 (@chess24com) December 9, 2024
Press Conference
ChessBase India Recap
Video by ChessBase India