Ding Liren Takes the Lead in World Chess Championship! 🏆

Exciting news from Singapore! China’s top chess player, Ding Liren, has won the first game against India’s young star, Gukesh Dommaraju, in the 2024 World Chess Championship. 🎉

The match began with Gukesh making a surprising move by pushing his e-pawn forward. This is when a pawn in front of the king moves two spaces ahead. Ding responded with the French Defense, a special opening where black sets up a solid defense. ♟️

Ding stayed focused at the board the entire time, while Gukesh took several breaks. As the game went on, Ding started making clever moves on the left side of the board, known as the queenside. 🌟

Gukesh, who is just 18 years old, tried an aggressive attack on the right side, or kingside, but it didn’t go as planned. He made a few mistakes in the middle of the game, which Ding capitalized on. 🚀

After four hours of intense play, Ding secured a decisive victory. This is the first time since 2010 that the first game in a World Championship match ended with a clear winner! 🥇

After the game, Ding said, “This was his first World Championship, and he might have been nervous, so I played something unusual, which I hadn’t played for a long time.”

Gukesh admitted, “Obviously it was not a great game by me. It all depended on the alertness. I think it was just a tactical oversight. It can happen.”

But don’t worry! The championship is just getting started. Ding will play with the white pieces in the second game on Tuesday. Let’s cheer them on and see what happens next! 🤔

Reference(s):

Ding Liren defeats Gukesh Dommaraju in World Chess Championship opener

cgtn.com