Emergence of a Prodigy: Dommaraju Gukesh's Performance in 2024 FIDE World Championship
In the 2024 FIDE World Championship, Dommaraju Gukesh has demonstrated considerable growth after a shaky start in the inaugural match. His techniques in the following games hold promise, reducing reigning champion Ding Liren's surprises to innocuous and firm positions.
His performance with black pieces, especially, stood out, answering many questions about his opening game ability. Initially guided by preparation with white, Gukesh has shown immense problem-solving skills with black pieces, ensuring no threats in his positions.
This characteristic is a crucial trait for any aspiring world champion - maintaining solidity and limiting game losses. It's a skill that former master, Magnus Carlsen, excelled in. Specifically with black pieces, where overreaching in a position could lead to significant downfalls.
Out of 14 games, there will naturally be drab or boring games. Gukesh, however, if he continues playing with this deftness, can adopt a riskier approach with white pieces. It could lead to an ideal situation as the championship in Singapore progresses.
On Friday's second game with black pieces, Gukesh successfully counteracted a surprise opening from Ding, maintaining solidity in the mid-game. Gukesh confessed to being caught off guard by Ding’s line in the opening, but his quick thinking helped him find solutions on the board.
The game was in a deadlock with both players playing only three moves in 45 minutes. Although the engine suggested Ding had a slight upper hand, Gukesh performed a few accurate moves to neutralize that, leaving the game evenly poised.
Gukesh later expressed his wish to have pressed a bit more in the position, but both players were far from danger. The game seemingly heading for a draw from early on, which was agreed upon in move 42.
The lack of talking points as the game drew to a close was highlighted during the post-match press conference. Question topics ranged from Gukesh's recent diet to his belief in numerology, clearly indicating a match without much drama or unexpected turns.
