News
Ding Liren Strikes Back To Beat Gukesh In Perfect Game 12
Ding Liren suddenly played a perfect game to get right back into the match. Photo: Eng Chin An/FIDE.

Ding Liren Strikes Back To Beat Gukesh In Perfect Game 12

Colin_McGourty
Colin_McGourty
Staff
| 189 | Chess Event Coverage

World Champion Ding Liren played a flawless game from start to finish to beat GM Gukesh Dommaraju and level the scores in the 2024 FIDE World Championship at 6-6 with just two games to go. When Gukesh played fast in a seemingly quiet opening, everything looked under control, but Ding played with computer-like precision as he upped the pressure constantly until the challenger's position simply fell apart.

Game 13, after a rest day on Tuesday, starts Wednesday, December 11, at 4:00 a.m. ET / 10:00 CET /  2:30 p.m. IST / 5:00 p.m. local time in Singapore.

Match Score

Name Rating 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 Score
  Ding Liren 2728 1 ½ 0 ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ 0 1 . . 6
  Gukesh Dommaraju 2783 0 ½ 1 ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ 1 0 . . 6
How to watch the 2024 FIDE World Championship
You can watch the 2024 FIDE World Championship live on Chess.com/TV and on the Chess24 Twitch and YouTube channels, while GM Hikaru Nakamura is streaming on Kick. IM Andras Toth is analyzing the games in a Chessable course. 
Watch the live broadcast, hosted by GM Anish Giri, GM Peter Leko, and John Sargent.
It was a game that upended all expectations about how the match would finish. Photo: Maria Emelianova/Chess.com.

Grandmaster Game Analysis, By GM Rafael Leitao

GM Rafael Leitao analyzes game 12 of the match below.

Comeback King Ding On How To Recover From A Loss

GM Anish Giri expressed a common thought during game 12 when he remarked on how unrecognizable Ding was from the player we'd seen just a day earlier: "I just don't understand what is going on with Ding... He's such a mystery to me. He seemed so broken, completely, yesterday, and now he plays an absolutely incredible game throughout, just all the way!"

He seemed so broken, completely, yesterday, and now he plays an absolutely incredible game throughout, just all the way!

—Anish Giri on Ding Liren in Game 12

It wasn't the first time Ding had hit back, since in the previous world championship match against GM Ian Nepomniachtchi, he managed it no less than three times. What's his secret? Well, here are some tips based on his post-game press conference.

1. Understand What Went Wrong: It would have been easy for Ding to despair after losing game 11, but instead, he managed to look at the game objectively. "If I played e6 instead of g6 yesterday, I’m also playing a very good game," he noted, and concluded, "I just spent too little time on the critical moments and spoiled a very good position."  

2. Get A Good Night's Sleep: Traditionally, chess players tell us it's impossible to sleep well after losing a huge game, but Ding managed. He commented, "Last night I slept well, I slept earlier, and it gave me a lot of energy."   

3. Change Something (Anything): Perhaps taking his cue from Nepomniachtchi in an earlier world championship, Ding changed something no one would have thought of—his hair! "At first I changed my experience a little bit, I did something with my hair," he mentioned in the press conference. 

Ding sported a new hairdo for a crucial game. Photo: Maria Emelianova/Chess.com.

4. Drink Coffee: For many of us drinking coffee is a big part of the world championship match experience, but not for Ding... until now! He commented, "I took a cup of coffee before the game, which helped me feel much more energetic," while he also snacked in the players' lounge to maintain his energy levels during the game. How does he like his coffee (yes, the press conferences miss nothing!): "A small cup of espresso."

5. Have The Support Of Friends And Family: Ding was asked about support from his second and mother and responded: "[GM Richard] Rapport sent me a file named “Strike Back!” and it happened! My mum gave me confidence, she said I did it last time, I can do it again!"

6. A Lucky Number Doesn't Hurt: If you needed something dramatic to happen in a match, game 12 was Ding's moment.

However, when asked at the press conference, he said 17 was his favorite number. Why? "Because I’m the 17th world champion!"

Remembering that fact may have helped him during the game.   

A Quiet Opening Seems To Favor Gukesh

So Ding had done everything he could before the game, but as Giri keeps noting in commentary, the problem with psychology and chess is that there's a board and positions in between the players. GM Peter Leko correctly predicted Ding would go for 1.c4, but his reasoning was that Ding already had the information that Gukesh would reply 1...e5. Instead, however, the challenger went for 1...e6.

When Gukesh played 8...e5, having used only three minutes on the clock and with a 20-minute lead over Ding, it felt as though his team had found a way to neutralize the position in their home preparation.

Ding noted, "I was caught by surprise by my opponent in the opening and I have to find some ideas to pose problems for my opponent," while Gukesh described himself as "aware of the position" and "quite comfortable," even if he didn't recall all the details.

Clouds would slowly gather over Black's position, however, with the first completely new move of the game, 10...h6!?, being described by Ding as "too slow," while our commentators noted that 10...Be6! was a tricky-to-find computer suggestion. 

Ding began to find a series of subtle and powerful quiet moves, while in his recap, Giri diagnosed the problem as follows: "Black’s pieces have already found their best squares, and it’s hard for Black to improve the position, while White has plenty of ways."

Ding Takes Over

We saw a different Ding at the board. Photo: Maria Emelianova/Chess.com.

As early as move 14, our commentators had become converts to the white position, with Leko already impressed: "I feel that every move Ding has made connects with each other, it has deep soul... I feel that Ding is playing here brilliantly!"

Giri, meanwhile, after the strong 15.Nb5! appeared on the board, pointed out that being in an (almost) must-win situation can really help a player with self-doubts, as it helped him against GM Magnus Carlsen. 

Ding himself would back up that theory later, noting how he'd avoided one line that could end in a draw by three-fold repetition and saying of his general approach, "I have no way to retreat—I have to push for the win!"

The moment when Gukesh sensed he was in trouble was after the computer-approved 17.Qd2!, with the challenger admitting, "I was really not sure what to do." Ding, meanwhile, had a clear plan.

Gukesh said his 17...Bg6?! reply "was just a mistake," since he'd missed that after 18.d4, his original intention 18...exd4? would run into 19.Bf4!. In the coming moves, Gukesh desperately tried to whip up counterplay while Ding carefully maintained his advantage.

Ding Is Winning And Makes No Mistake

Gukesh knew it was over. Photo: Maria Emelianova/Chess.com.

The moment when Ding realized he was winning was also the moment of greatest peril—after Gukesh played 22...Bg5?!.

Ding confessed afterward that he'd nearly stumbled, noting, "My first intention was to play h4, but it’s a very bad move!"

After 23.h4? Black is suddenly even slightly better, according to the computer, but Ding said he learned the lesson of the previous day's loss and pointed out that it was here that his extra energy came in handy: "Here I think I did the last important long think, because if I play h4 I might also spoil this very good position."

Ding was very happy to show one of his best games. Photo: Eng Chin An/FIDE.

After spending five of his last 24 minutes, he found 23.Nf4!, and understood that his position was "much, much better." This is the position where Giri wondered aloud how Ding could seem so broken the day before and play "an absolutely incredible game."

Giri still doubted that Ding would maintain his level for the whole game, but he did, with Ding himself summing up, "I just put pressure on my opponent the whole game—I did not slip like last game!"

I just put pressure on my opponent the whole game—I did not slip like last game!

—Ding Liren

The closest we came to a slip was an unusual oversight since Ding could simply have won an exchange with 26.Na7!, hitting the trapped rook on c8.

That would essentially be game-over, and though his 27.d6! was even stronger, according to the computer, it raised some eyebrows.

Ding solved that minor mystery after the game, smiling as he explained, "The reason is simple—I missed Na7!"

You could also say he "missed" a queen sacrifice in what followed, but Ding had an absolutely overwhelming advantage—"I have two pawns and the compensation," he said—while he still got to end with a crushing rook sacrifice, a remarkable turnaround in the space of 24 hours.

The handshake at the end of game 12. Photo: Maria Emelianova/Chess.com.

"It’s maybe the best game I’ve played in recent times," said Ding. And what a moment to find such form!

What Now For Ding And Gukesh? 

Just as a day earlier, with roles reversed, Gukesh answered questions first and then left the press conference. Photo: Eng Chin An/FIDE.

The scores are level at 6-6, and suddenly, the ball is back in Gukesh's court to adapt to the new situation. He remained level-headed, commenting:

Obviously, this game is a bit of a disappointment. Luckily I have a rest day tomorrow to recover, but it’s nice to know the score is still tied and this game is not a huge blow for my chances, it’s still evenly-matched. I’ll just try to play good games! 

This game is not a huge blow for my chances.

—Gukesh Dommaraju

With only two games remaining, the narrative of Ding being the more established rapid player and favorite in tiebreaks will return, but before that, we've got classical games on Wednesday and Thursday since, despite the pre-tournament fears, we now know all 14 games will be played.

Ding suggested in the post-game press conference that he's come to terms with losing his title since he noted, "If I cannot win today, also if I cannot win the last two games, maybe I’ll just lose the title, which I also accept." As we've seen, however, he's not ready to retire just yet...

...or to give up the match without a fight!

Come back Wednesday for the penultimate game, when Gukesh will have the white pieces for the last time in the match, at least in a classical game. 

Video Playlists

Check out Chess.com's playlist of Game Reviews and Interviews.

You can also follow along with the video recaps by your favorite partner streamers, like GM Hikaru Nakamura, GM Anish Giri, IM Levy Rozman (GothamChess), GM Ben Finegold, GM Aman Hambleton (Chessbrah), GM Arturs Neiksans, FM Nemo Zhou, Epic Chess, and Chess Dojo in the playlist here.

The 2024 FIDE World Championship in Singapore decides the next world champion. 18-year-old Indian Challenger Gukesh Dommaraju takes on Chinese Defending Champion Ding Liren in a 14-game match, with the first to 7.5 points winning. The players have two hours for 40 moves, then 30 minutes to the end of the game, with 30 seconds added each move from move 41 onwards. The prize fund is $2,500,000, with $200,000 for a win and the remaining money split equally. If tied 7-7, a playoff will take place, starting with four games of 15+10 rapid chess.

Previous world championship coverage:

Colin_McGourty
Colin McGourty

Colin McGourty led news at Chess24 from its launch until it merged with Chess.com a decade later. An amateur player, he got into chess writing when he set up the website Chess in Translation after previously studying Slavic languages and literature in St. Andrews, Odesa, Oxford, and Krakow.

More from Colin_McGourty
Gukesh Leads World Championship After Ding's Blunder Ends Game 11 Thriller

Gukesh Leads World Championship After Ding's Blunder Ends Game 11 Thriller

7th Draw In A Row Leaves Ding-Gukesh Level With 4 Games To Go

7th Draw In A Row Leaves Ding-Gukesh Level With 4 Games To Go

News
Chess Event Coverage
Chess Players
Chess Politics
Editorials
Chess.com News
Misc
Authors
Chess Tournaments Calendar