World chess championship 2024 game 3 highlights: Gukesh takes down Ding Liren to level scores before 1st rest day

Indian Grandmaster D. Gukesh defeated Ding Liren, the world champion on Wednesday, securing his first victory in the World Chess Championship 2024. His impressive third-round performance levelled the score at 1.5 points each. During the game, at some point, Liren had to make 11 moves within eight minutes.

Following the outcome of the third game of the 2024 World Chess Championship, Ding Liren's one-point lead was eliminated, and both players entered the first rest day with a score of par.

In World Championship game 3, Gukesh’s 13th move left Liren behind by 60 minutes on the clock. After Gukesh Dommaraju began with d4, on the board, Queen’s Gambit was seen. Within the initial 10 moves by both players, the queens were exchanged, however, on his 10thmove, Ding jumped to the c2 square with his light-squared bishop to pressure the Gukesh’s unprotected pawn which pushed him into a quandary though. Ding was doing all he could to rescue the bishop, who was stuck on that square. However, on the twenty-fourth move, it was finally seized.

The second game of the 2024 Chess World Championship happening in Singapore’s Resorts World Sentosa was a dull 23-move draw. After that, Ding predicted that game 3 against Gukesh was going to be a ‘Big Fight’. Ding Liren said, ‘Gukesh is playing with white pieces and he is a down point’ and added ‘I am ready to fight’.

Magnus Carlsen, the former world champion was not happy with the performance of his successor in the Gukesh Vs ding Liren game, who had the position in game 2 which allowed him to create pressure on his 18-year-old challenger.

This is the summary of the statement that Carlsen gave, ‘It is difficult to get better opportunities in a World Chess Championship. Ding Liren stands risk-free with a one-nil position. His opponent has not yet shown anything positive in the game. However, Ding decided not to push. This is the usual for him as he does not try to win, just happy with draws’.