Ding Liren surprised Gukesh with the French Defense and claimed victory in the first game of the World Chess Championship.

Ding Liren strikes first in the World Chess Championship

This Monday, November 25, at the Aquarius Hotel, located within Resorts World Sentosa (RWS) in Singapore, Ding Liren defeated GM Dommaraju Gukesh. Defying pre-match predictions that favored Gukesh for a relatively easy victory in the overall championship, the Chinese GM opted to start with the black pieces, countering Gukesh’s 1.e4 with the French Defense (1…e6).

In our prelude to the match between Ding and Gukesh , we had already talked about the usual preferred openings of both rivals. Ding’s choice of opening came as a surprise, as it’s not a usual part of his repertoire against 1.e4.

Many immediately thought of Hungary’s Richard Rapport, one of Ding’s trainers, who also helped prepare him for his 2023 title victory. Ding recently confirmed that Rapport contributed new opening ideas to his preparation. Interestingly, Ding also mentioned that this year’s training period lasted only three weeks, slightly longer than last year’s.

After his defeat, Gukesh highlighted in the post-game press conference that the pivotal moment of the match occurred after 14.Nexd4 Nb6 and then 18.Nxd4 Nb2 (see below). He underestimated the implications of the knight’s incursion into his territory, supported by the pawn on a3, which began its advance with 7.c3 a5.

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. e5 Nfd7 5. f4 c5 6. Nce2 Nc6 7. c3 a5 8. Nf3 a4 9. Be3 Be7 10. g4 Qa5 11. Bg2 a3 12. b3 cxd4 13. b4 Qc7 14. Nexd4 Nb6 15. O-O Nc4 16. Bf2 Bd7 17. Qe2 Nxd4 18. Nxd4 Nb2 19. Qe3 Rc8 20. Rac1 Qc4 21. f5 Qd3 22. Qe1 Bg5 23. Rc2 Rc4 24. h4 Bf4 25. Qb1 Rxc3 26. Rxc3 Qxc3 27. fxe6 fxe6 28. Ne2 Qxe5 29. Nxf4 Qxf4 30. Qc2 Qc4 31. Qd2 O-O 32. Bd4 Nd3 33. Qe3 Rxf1+ 34. Bxf1 e5 35. Bxe5 Qxg4+ 36. Bg2 Bf5 37. Bg3 Be4 38. Kh2 h6 39. Bh3 Qd1 40. Bd6 Qc2+ 41. Kg3 Qxa2 42. Be6+ Kh8 0-1.

Much had been said about Ding Liren’s lackluster performance and emotional struggles throughout the year. Critics speculated that his 2023 championship win had become a heavy burden he couldn’t carry. However, it seems this perception may have been part of Ding’s strategy to maintain his throne. He embraced a maxim from one of his famous compatriots: “Feign weakness.”

During Sunday’s pre-match press conference, Ding appeared calm, smiling, and at ease, finally enjoying the moment. When asked how he felt returning to the world stage for the second time, he said he felt peaceful and full of energy. It seems Ding has returned to his true self—emotional, respectful, introverted, yet highly capable at the chessboard.

Tomorrow, at the same local time in Singapore, 5:00 PM (GMT+8), Gukesh and Ding will face off in the second game, with Ding playing the white pieces.