D Gukesh Vs Ding Liren, World Chess Championship Game 5 Highlights: Indian Secures Draw After Comeback From Blunder; Scores Tied At 2.5-2.5

That's all from Game 5. Both players are leveled, and that's not the end, Game 6 is on December 1, 2024, Sunday. We’ll see you all tomorrow at the same time. Until then, goodbye and thank you.

Asked about his thoughts on the match situation after five games, Ding Liren shared in the post-game press conference: "It's not ideal. I've had chances in some games. I was leading by a point, and even today, I had an advantage that I didn't realize. There's definitely something to improve in the next round."

Asked what he feels about the match situation after five games, Gukesh says at the post-game PC: "Still too early. Considering I was trailing after the first game, nice to be here. Lot more important games to come. We're not even halfway there." 

Gukesh (White) vs Ding (Black) - Moves So Far

1. e4 - e6

2. d4 - d5ex

3. exd5 - exd5

4. Nf3 - Nf6

5. Bd3 - c5

6. c3 - c4

7. Bc2 - Bd6

8. Qe2+ - Qe7

9. Qxe7+ - Kxe7

10. O-O - Re8

11. Re1+ - Kf8

12. Rxe8+ - Kxe8

13. Bg5 - Nbd7

14. Nbd2 - h6

15. Bh4 - Nh5

16. Re1+ Kf8

17. g4 - Nf4

18. Bg3 - Nb6

19. g5 - hxg5

20. Nxg5 - Bd7

21. Ngf3 - Re8

22. Ne5 - Bxe5

23. dxe5 - Nd3

24. Bxd3 - cxd3

25. f3 - Nc4

26. Nxc4 - dxc4

27. Re4 - Bc6

28. Rd4 - Bxf3

29. Kf2 - Bc6

30. Rxc4 - Rd8

31. Rd4 - Rxd4

32. cxd4 - Bd5

33. b3 - Ke7

34. Ke3 - Ke6

35. Kxd3 - g6

36. Kc3 - a6

37. Kd3 - Kf5

38. Ke3 - Ke6

39. Kd3 - kf5

40. Ke3 - Ke6

Gukesh made a blunder in the mid-game, overlooking a rook exchange in his quest for a more aggressive opening, which allowed Ding to gain the upper hand. One wrong move there, and it could have been the end for Gukesh. But he held his nerve brilliantly, counter-attacked with precision, and calculated his way back into the game.

From a losing position, he managed to secure a draw.

Now, the young challenger’s record stands at one loss, one win, and one draw.

As soon as the 40th move is completed, the earliest point a draw can be offered, both players shake hands. It’s a hard-fought draw, with Gukesh making a remarkable comeback to secure it.

The rooks shift position, allowing Ding's bishop to advance and capture the f pawn. Gukesh responds by moving his king forward, and Ding immediately retreats. The play is fast-paced. Gukesh then takes the c pawn.

Both players' accuracy has dropped, with Gukesh at 97% and Ding at 97.7%.

Ding forces the rook exchange, advancing to capture Gukesh's rook. Gukesh, in turn, recaptures with his c pawn. Ding moves his bishop to d5.

With the position looking more balanced, the chances of a draw are now at 93.6%.

Gukesh (White) vs Ding (Black) - Moves So Far

1. e4 - e6

2. d4 - d5ex

3. exd5 - exd5

4. Nf3 - Nf6

5. Bd3 - c5

6. c3 - c4

7. Bc2 - Bd6

8. Qe2+ - Qe7

9. Qxe7+ - Kxe7

10. O-O - Re8

11. Re1+ - Kf8

12. Rxe8+ - Kxe8

13. Bg5 - Nbd7

14. Nbd2 - h6

15. Bh4 - Nh5

16. Re1+ Kf8

17. g4 - Nf4

18. Bg3 - Nb6

19. g5 - hxg5

20. Nxg5 - Bd7

21. Ngf3 - Re8

22. Ne5 - Bxe5

23. dxe5 - Nd3

24. Bxd3 - cxd3

25. f3 - Nc4

26. Nxc4 - dxc4

27. Re4 - Bc6

28. Rd4

This is not looking good, Ding Liren has a 36 percent chance of winning while Gukesh has a 6.4 percent chance of winning.

BLUNDER

Gukesh commits a mistake. Instead of using his rook, he takes the black bishop with his pawn, leaving Ding with a strong position.

Gukesh defies the usual chess conventions by retreating his knight back to f3. This move goes against the traditional advice that discourages giving up ground you’ve just gained. However, Gukesh values the flexibility this kind of maneuver gives him. It’s also an unpredictable choice for Ding, who is over a decade older and more accustomed to the standard patterns of play.

Gukesh (White) vs Ding (Black) - Moves So Far

1. e4 - e6

2. d4 - d5ex

3. exd5 - exd5

4. Nf3 - Nf6

5. Bd3 - c5

6. c3 - c4

7. Bc2 - Bd6

8. Qe2+ - Qe7

9. Qxe7+ - Kxe7

10. O-O - Re8

11. Re1+ - Kf8

12. Rxe8+ - Kxe8

13. Bg5 - Nbd7

14. Nbd2 - h6

15. Bh4 - Nh5

16. Re1+ Kf8

17. g4 - Nf4

18. Bg3 - Nb6

19. g5 - hxg5

20. Nxg5 - Bd7

Ding takes a short break, stepping away from the glass-enclosed playing area and into the player’s lounge. Meanwhile, Gukesh is entirely focused, his gaze locked on the board as he continues to analyze every move, completely unaware of Ding’s exit.

Ding Liren's king is stuck on the back rank along the e-file. Gukesh jumps in with a check from his second rook, forcing Ding to slide his king over to f8, just escaping the threat. Now, Gukesh is thinking hard about his 17th move. Even though Ding spent almost 30 minutes on one of his earlier moves, Gukesh hasn't really made a dent in the clock.

Gukesh (White) vs Ding (Black) - Moves So Far

1. e4 - e6

2. d4 - d5ex

3. exd5 - exd5

4. Nf3 - Nf6

5. Bd3 - c5

6. c3 - c4

7. Bc2 - Bd6

8. Qe2+ - Qe7

9. Qxe7+ - Kxe7

10. O-O - Re8

11. Re1+ - Kf8

12. Rxe8+ - Kxe8

13. Bg5 - Nbd7

14. Nbd2 - h6

15. Bh4 - Nh5

16. Re1+ Kf8

Gukesh deep in thoguht thinking of his move.

Gukesh (White) vs Ding (Black) - Moves So Far

1. e4 - e6

2. d4 - d5ex

3. exd5 - exd5

4. Nf3 - Nf6

5. Bd3 - c5

6. c3 - c4

7. Bc2 - Bd6

8. Qe2+ - Qe7

9. Qxe7+ - Kxe7

10. O-O - Re8

11. Re1+ - Kf8

12. Rxe8+ - Kxe8

13. Bg5 - Nbd7

14. Nbd2 - h6

15. Bh4 - Nh5

Ding advances his H pawn to drive Gukesh's bishop back, which promptly retreats. Now Ding is deep in thought once again. Gukesh steps away from the board, heads to the player's lounge, and takes a quick sip from his water bottle.

Ding is deep in thought over his 14th move. His clock has ticked down from 1 hour 49 minutes to 1 hour 22 minutes. Could this be the turning point of the game?

The position is very balanced. After his 14th move, Gukesh has a 20.1% chance of winning, while world champion Ding Liren has a 19.3% chance. According to Leela Zero, an AI-based chess model, there’s a 60.6% likelihood that Game 5 will end in a draw, as predicted in the official FIDE broadcast.

Gukesh (White) vs Ding (Black) - Moves So Far

1. e4 - e6

2. d4 - d5ex

3. exd5 - exd5

4. Nf3 - Nf6

5. Bd3 - c5

6. c3 - c4

7. Bc2 - Bd6

8. Qe2+ - Qe7

9. Qxe7+ - Kxe7

10. O-O - Re8

11. Re1+ - Kf8

12. Rxe8+ - Kxe8

13. Bg5 - Nbd7

The game springs into action with a flurry of moves. Gukesh shifts his rook to e1, delivering a check. Ding has only one option and moves his king diagonally down to f8. Gukesh wastes no time, capturing Ding’s rook on e8 with a decisive move. Another check follows, and Ding’s king retaliates by capturing Gukesh’s rook.

The pace remains brisk as Gukesh positions his black bishop on g5. Ding counters by deploying his knight to d7.

Gukesh slips into his meditative state, head in hands, palms cupping his face, and eyes closed, deeply contemplating his 11th move.

Gukesh (White) vs Ding (Black) - Moves So Far

1. e4 - e6

2. d4 - d5ex

3. exd5 - exd5

4. Nf3 - Nf6

5. Bd3 - c5

6. c3 - c4

7. Bc2 - Bd6

8. Qe2+ - Qe7

9. Qxe7+ - Kxe7

10. O-O - Re8

Gukesh shows early aggression, moving his queen to e2 and delivering a check. Ding counters by offering a queen exchange, which Gukesh accepts, leaving Black's king positioned at e7.

Gukesh opens with 1.e4, sticking to familiar territory. It’s a repeat of Round 1.

Ding takes his seat first, quickly followed by Gukesh, who offers a brief handshake as they set up for the match.

Ashley begins the introductions, bringing us closer to the start of Game 5.

K. Shanmugam, Singapore’s Minister of Home Affairs and Minister of Law, will make the ceremonial first move. As before, Gukesh carefully adjusts the piece back into place.

Ding arrives and takes his seat, arranging his chess pieces. He will play with black, while Gukesh takes white.

Results so far

Game 1 - November 25, 2024 - Ding Liren beat Gukesh

Game 2 - November 26, 2024 - Draw

Game 3 - November 27, 2024 - Gukesh beat Ding Liren

Rest Day - November 28, 2024

Game 4 - November 29, 2024 - Draw

Score line - 2-2

The 2024 World Chess Championship match between D. Gukesh and Ding Liren will consist of 14 classical games. The first player to reach 7.5 points will be crowned World Champion. If the match ends in a tie after all 14 games, a tiebreak will be held the following day to determine the winner.

Each game will have a time control of 120 minutes for the first 40 moves, followed by 30 minutes for the remaining moves, with a 30-second increment per move starting from move 41.

Carlsen Claims Gukesh is the ‘Better Chess Player’

In his post-game analysis on the Take Take Take app, Magnus Carlsen praised Indian Grandmaster D Gukesh, calling him the "better chess player" based on recent form, including games in the World Chess Championship. Carlsen noted, "The assumption based on the recent data we have is that Gukesh is a better chess player than Ding Liren right now. So having more games is good for him."

Carlsen also predicted Gukesh would go for the kill in Game 5, highlighting an emerging pattern: when Gukesh plays with the white pieces, there tends to be a decisive result.

“Knowing what we know so far, I don’t think it’s going to be boring. Gukesh is going to go for the throat again. He will probably outprepare Ding Liren, and Ding will have to dig in, as he has twice before, and find some resources,” Carlsen said.

He added, "I will reluctantly predict a Gukesh win in Game 5. But it really is the definition of a three-result game. I don’t feel at all confident in his ability to put pressure without risk, nor do I feel confident about Ding’s ability to not crumble under pressure. Gukesh will have something spicier prepared than what Ding had in Game 4. It will be a lot more concrete."

We’ll provide all the live updates right here. But for those who wish to watch it live, the D Gukesh vs Ding Liren FIDE World Chess Championship 2024 match will be streamed on FIDE’s social media handles (YouTube, Twitch), as well as chess.com’s YouTube and Twitch channels. It will not be telecast on any TV channel in India. But you can watch it live here.

Hey everyone, we’re back with another live blog. Game 5 of the FIDE World Chess Championship is happening today, (Saturday, November 30). Indian Grandmaster D Gukesh is set to face China’s Ding Liren with the match tied at 2-2. Gukesh is looking to break the deadlock and take the lead. Stay tuned to Outlook for all the live updates and moves.