3÷2

Dommaraju Gukesh – 丁立人 (Dīng Lìrén)
World Chess Championship 2024; match game 3; Sentosa, November 27, 2024
Queen’s Gambit Declined D35

1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 d5 3. c4 e6 4. cxd5 exd5 5. Nc3 c6 6. Qc2 g6 7. h3 Bf5 8. Qb3 Qb6 9. g4 Qxb3 10. axb3 Bc2 11. Bf4 h5 12. Rg1 hxg4 13. hxg4

13. ... Nbd7!? 丁立人 (Dīng Lìrén) then complained he didn’t well know what to do after 7. h3, yet the text move is a clear improvement on 13. ... Bxb3? 14. Nd2! Bc4 15. Nxc4 dxc4 16. e3± Kramnik – Erigaisi, 1st FIDE World Rapid Team Championship, Düsseldorf 2023 (time control: 15 minutes plus 10 seconds per move).
14. Nd2 Rg8 15. g5!? (15. Be3 g5 16. Rc1⩲)
15. ... Nh5 16. Bh2 Rh8 17. f3 Ng7 18. Bg3

18. ... Rh5? The question arises about whether it is an oversight or a non-oversight, but 丁立人 (Dīng Lìrén)’s explaination leaves no room for doubt: “I knew my Bishop on c2 was a weakness so I tried to come up with some idea to save it. I calculated a long line with 18. ... Be7, and I thought I was worse. Now I see that it’s not so clear, according to the computer. In the line that I played with 18. ... Rh5, I missed his move 23. Ne2”.
19. e4! “I am winning a piece but he gets a couple of Pawns”, Gukesh then said. “The dark squares are a bit soft. I didn’t think I was completely winning. I knew that I should be better or close to winning”.
19. ... dxe4 20. fxe4 Ne6 21. Rc1 Nxd4 22. Bf2 Bg7

23. Ne2! White’s only and best move. Gukesh is careful enough to make his material advantage tell.
23. ... Nxb3 24. Rxc2 Nxd2 25. Kxd2 Ne5 26. Nd4 Rd8 27. Ke2 Rh2 28. Bg2 a6 29. b3 Rd7 30. Rcc1 Ke7 31. Rcd1 Ke8 32. Bg3 Rh5 33. Nf3 Nxf3 34. Kxf3 Bd4 35. Rh1 Rxg5 36. Bh3 f5 37. Bf4 Rh5 1–0. Black flagged. But if not, after 37. Bxf5 he ought to resign.

“I guess during the game we both thought White is doing well which is what matters”, Gukesh eventually said. Photo: Maria Alekseevna Emelianova.