World Chess Championship HIGHLIGHTS Game 7: Ding manages to rescue a draw against Gukesh

WCC 2024 LIVE UPDATES: Both players can't be separated at the halfway with 5 draws in 7 games so far.

7:59 PM

World Chess Championship 2024 LIVE UPDATES: Both players share the spoils again!

Another thrilling draw between Gukesh and Ding as the Indian fails to grab a win despite having an advantage on the night. The score goes to 3.5-3.5 now at the halfway stage of the 14-match contest as there is still a lot to play for in the championship.

7:45 PM

World Chess Championship 2024 LIVE UPDATES: Game heading towards another draw!

Some good defence by Ding is taking the game slowly and slowly towards a draw now.

7:43 PM

World Chess Championship 2024 LIVE UPDATES: Gukesh chasing a win!

Gukesh has little time left on the clock and is only able to play because of the 30-second increment he gets after every move. Ding on the other hand is solely playing for a draw after a bad day in the office.

7:38 PM

World Chess Championship 2024 LIVE UPDATES: Gukesh falling behind now!

Gukesh has fallen behind in terms of time for the first time in the game. He took 8 minutes for his 48th move. Nail-biting finish this one.

7:30 PM

World Chess Championship 2024 LIVE UPDATES: 45 moves in!

With the result of the game almost there, things hare heating up now between the Indian and Chinese duo.

 

1 Nf3 d5

2 g3 g6

3 d4 Bg7

4 c4 c6

5 Bg2 Nf6

6 O-O O-O

7 Re1 dxc4

8 e4 Bg4

9 Nbd2 c5

10 d5 e6

11 h3 Bxf3

12 Bxf3 exd5

13 exd5 Nbd7

14 Nxc4 b5

15 Na3 Qb6

16 Bf4 Rfe8

17 Qd2 Rad8

18 Nc2 Nf8

19 b4 c4

20 Be3 Qa6

21 Bd4 Rxe1+

22 Rxe1 Qxa2

23 Ra1 Qb3

24 Ra3 Qb1+

25 Kg2 Rd7

26 Ra5 Qb3

27 Ra3 Qb1

28 Ra5 Qb3

29 Rxb5 Qd3

30 Qf4 Qxc2

31 Bxf6 Qf5

32 Qxf5 gxf5

33 Bxg7 Kxg7

34 Rc5 Ng6

35 Rxc4 Ne5

36 Rd4 Nc6

37 Rf4 Ne7

38 b5 Kf6

39 Rd4 h6

40 Kf1 Ke5

41 Rh4 Nxd5

42 Rxh6 Nc3

43 Rc6 Ne4

44 Ke1 f6

45 h4 Rd3

7:16 PM

World Chess Championship 2024 LIVE UPDATES: Lengthy delay by Ding!

Ding took almost 22 minutes for his 44th move which could cost him big going into the final moments of the game.

7:11 PM

World Chess Championship 2024 LIVE UPDATES: Advantage Gukesh!

Gukesh still holds an advantage on the board over Ding as he looks to grab a valuable point on the night. 44 moves are in already.

6:55 PM

World Chess Championship 2024 LIVE UPDATES: Longest game alert!

With the game past the 4 hour-mark now, this is the longest game so far out of the 7 matches that have been played in the World Championship.

6:47 PM

World Chess Championship 2024 LIVE UPDATES: Kramnik on Ding!

"Exchanging h pawn to d pawn is even better than Nf8. I like Ding and he is a strong player in normal condition but he shouldnt have played this match before fully recovering. It is not him playing, a bleak shadow," said Russian grandmaster Vladimir Kramnik posted on X.

6:31 PM

World Chess Championship 2024 LIVE UPDATES: Gukesh and Ding over time control!

The 18-year-old Gukesh crosses the 40-move time control, securing an additional 30 minutes on the clock. He marks the moment by heading to his private lounge for a brief break.

 

Meanwhile, Ding Liren is deep in thought over his next move. With just seven seconds left on his clock, he manages to make his 40th move, earning himself the crucial bonus of 30 more minutes.

6:24 PM

World Chess Championship 2024 LIVE UPDATES: Ding in a race against time!

Ding has six minutes remaining for his final three moves before both players reach the time control phase, where they will each receive an additional 30 minutes along with a 30-second increment per move.

Although Ding is not entirely out of trouble, the threat appears to diminish with every move he makes.

6:05 PM

World Chess Championship 2024 LIVE UPDATES: Ding under pressure!

With 27 moves in, Ding has just 15 minutes left on the clock in order to decide on his 13 remaining moves on the night.

1 Nf3 d5

2 g3 g6

3 d4 Bg7

4 c4 c6

5 Bg2 Nf6

6 O-O O-O

7 Re1 dxc4

8 e4 Bg4

9 Nbd2 c5

10 d5 e6

11 h3 Bxf3

12 Bxf3 exd5

13 exd5 Nbd7

14 Nxc4 b5

15 Na3 Qb6

16 Bf4 Rfe8

17 Qd2 Rad8

18 Nc2 Nf8

19 b4 c4

20 Be3 Qa6

21 Bd4 Rxe1+

22 Rxe1 Qxa2

23 Ra1 Qb3

24 Ra3 Qb1+

25 Kg2 Rd7

26 Ra5 Qb3

27 Ra3 Qb1

6:00 PM

World Chess Championship 2024 LIVE UPDATES: Can Gukesh make the most of the advantage?

With India's Gukesh having a clear advantage on the board and on the clock, it will be interesting to see whether or not he makes the most of his chance tonight.

5:48 PM

World Chess Championship 2024 LIVE UPDATES: 25 moves in!

We are 25 moves in and Gukesh still has 43 minutes while Ding has been left with just over 15 minutes.

1 Nf3 d5

2 g3 g6

3 d4 Bg7

4 c4 c6

5 Bg2 Nf6

6 O-O O-O

7 Re1 dxc4

8 e4 Bg4

9 Nbd2 c5

10 d5 e6

11 h3 Bxf3

12 Bxf3 exd5

13 exd5 Nbd7

14 Nxc4 b5

15 Na3 Qb6

16 Bf4 Rfe8

17 Qd2 Rad8

18 Nc2 Nf8

19 b4 c4

20 Be3 Qa6

21 Bd4 Rxe1+

22. Rxe1 Qxa2

23. Ra1 Qb3

24. Ra3 Qb1+

25. Kg2 Rd7

5:34 PM

World Chess Championship 2024 LIVE UPDATES: Ding trying to attack!

Ding has taken an attacking approach by playing 21. Rxe1+. However, Gukesh was able to pocket it with 22. Rxe1

5:23 PM

World Chess Championship 2024 LIVE UPDATES: 20 moves in!

With 20 moves in the book for both players, Ding now has almost half the time to him as compared to Gukesh who has 50 minutes on the clock. Things are looking difficult for the reigning champion at the moment.

1 Nf3 d5

2 g3 g6

3 d4 Bg7

4 c4 c6

5 Bg2 Nf6

6 O-O O-O

7 Re1 dxc4

8 e4 Bg4

9 Nbd2 c5

10 d5 e6

11 h3 Bxf3

12 Bxf3 exd5

13 exd5 Nbd7

14 Nxc4 b5

15 Na3 Qb6

16 Bf4 Rfe8

17 Qd2 Rad8

18 Nc2 Nf8

19 b4 c4

20 Be3 Qa6

5:12 PM

World Chess Championship 2024 LIVE UPDATES: Play like no one's watching!

Gukesh is having a good day at the office and apparently spent more then 25 per cent of the 2 hours and 30 minutes of the match with his eyes shut. He is meditating and calculating lines while Ding on the other end of the table is still thinking about his next move.

5:05 PM

World Chess Championship 2024 LIVE UPDATES: 19 moves in!

Gukesh looks to have the upper hand for now as Ding appears to lure him into playing in a more attacking manner.

1 Nf3 d5

2 g3 g6

3 d4 Bg7

4 c4 c6

5 Bg2 Nf6

6 O-O O-O

7 Re1 dxc4

8 e4 Bg4

9 Nbd2 c5

10 d5 e6

11 h3 Bxf3

12 Bxf3 exd5

13 exd5 Nbd7

14 Nxc4 b5

15 Na3 Qb6

16 Bf4 Rfe8

17 Qd2 Rad8

18 Nc2 Nf8

19 b4 c4

4:47 PM

World Chess Championship 2024 LIVE UPDATES: Time taken for the next moves!

If the time taken to think about the next move is taken into account, it is Gukesh who has taken the maximum of 7 min and 38 secs on one of his moves. Ding has taken a long 28 minutes before on eof his moves today, giving Gukesh a pretty good time advantage over him.

4:36 PM

World Chess Championship 2024 LIVE UPDATES: Scores at the moment

Both players are level at 3-3 at the moment with 4 draws in 6 games. The first player to reach 7.5 points will be declared as the World champion.

4:24 PM

World Chess Championship 2024 LIVE UPDATES: 17 moves in!

Ding responds with 16 Rfe8 as Gukesh plays 17. Qd2. Ding reacts to it and plays 17. Rad8

4:14 PM

World Chess Championship 2024 LIVE UPDATES: Gukesh keeping his calm!

Gukesh has been playing with a calm mind as he has spent an astonishing 31 minutes with his eyes closed during the 1 hour 37 minutes of the game. Ding has also been in a thinking stance for most periods and was also seen shaking his head after his moves.

4:02 PM

World Chess Championship 2024 LIVE UPDATES: 15 moves in!

Gukesh plays his 15th move with Na3 as Ding responds with Qb6. Gukesh back with Bf4 and Ding takes his time again.

1 Nf3 d5

2 g3 g6

3 d4 Bg7

4 c4 c6

5 Bg2 Nf6

6 O-O O-O

7 Re1 dxc4

8 e4 Bg4

9 Nbd2 c5

10 d5 e6

11 h3 Bxf3

12 Bxf3 exd5

13 exd5 Nbd7

14 Nxc4 b5

15 Na3 Qb6

16 Bf4

3:46 PM

World Chess Championship 2024 LIVE UPDATES: Ding unhappy with his moves!

Ding looks visibly unhappy with his recent moves and is seen shaking his head at times as well. This could be an act to trick Gukesh into playing a more attacking game as Ding is thining for his 12th move now and plays 12. exd5. Gukesh comes up with the same move as well.

Here are the moves so far -  

1 Nf3 d5

2 g3 g6

3 d4 Bg7

4 c4 c6

5 Bg2 Nf6

6 O-O O-O

7 Re1 dxc4

8 e4 Bg4

9 Nbd2 c5

10 d5 e6

11 h3 Bxf3

12 Bxf3 exd5
13 exd5 Nbd7
14 Nxc4 b5

3:35 PM

World Chess Championship 2024 LIVE UPDATES: Gukesh ahead of Ding in time!

Gukesh is almost 40 minutes ahead of Ding in terms to time taken as he plays 10. d5 to increase his chances of winning on the day. It is Ding who is seen struggling at the moment.

3:21 PM

World Chess Championship 2024 LIVE UPDATES: 9 moves done so far!

Ding did put some more thinking on to the approach as we have moved on to 9 moves by each of them so far. Gukesh is quick with his approach while Ding is taking his time.

1 Nf3 d5

2 g3 g6

3 d4 Bg7

4 c4 c6

5 Bg2 Nf6

6 O-O O-O

7 Re1 dxc4

8 e4 Bg4

9. Nbd2 c5

3:14 PM

World Chess Championship 2024 LIVE UPDATES: Ding with his move finally!

It took Ding a total of 28 minutes for his 7th move as he finally pockest the pawn on c4 with 7. dxc4. Gukesh responds within seconds of his move as he plays 8. e4

3:08 PM

World Chess Championship 2024 LIVE UPDATES: A first for the tournament!

This match up between India and China is the first time in 138 years of the tournament history that two Asians have been pitted against one another in the World Championship final. this stats makes it that more special an event for both the players.

 

2:58 PM

World Chess Championship 2024 LIVE UPDATES: Gukesh with his eyes closed!

While DIng thinks of his 7th move, the statistics show that Gukesh has spent more than 40% of the time on the board with his eyes closed so far in Game 7. He is looking like a statue of concentration at the moment.

2:52 PM

World Chess Championship 2024 LIVE UPDATES: Ding forced to think about next move!

After a series of moves by both the players, Gukesh's 7. Re1 has forced Ding to think a little.