12.11.24 Game 12 of the FIDE 2024 World Chess Championship Match between the current World Champion Ding Liren and Challenger Gukesh Dommaraju, was an exciting 68-move draw. Tomorrow's game will be the final game with classical time controls in the 14-game Match. If the players remain tied after that game, the Match will enter a Rapid and, possibly, a Blitz portion. 

Reporting for Chess.com, Mike Klien noted that the Challenger, Gukesh Dommaraju, entered the playing hall for Game 13 of the FIDE 2024 World Chess Championship Match "like a tornado." Asked about this in the post-game press conference, Gukesh said that he did feel confident going into Game 13 and was excited to play a cool idea in the white side of a French Defense.

He got that chance when, after Gukesh put 1.e4 on the board, Ding stuck to his beloved French Defense. Gukesh played 7.a3, a move that was first played in this position by the great American player Frank Marshall, again showing his propensity to choose the 3rd or 4th best engine move in an attempt to get his opponet out of his preparation. After a long think, Ding played 7...Be7 and Gukesh sprung the theoretical novelty 8.Be3. Ding considered his response, 8...Nb6 for over 30 minutes.

When Ding played 12...b5 (rather than the simpler, consolidating 12...f6) there were shades of his 15...g6 in Game 11 (rather than the super-solid 15...e6). 

Gikesh burned his huge time advantage on 16...Bxf6 falling behind Ding on the clock for the first time in the game. A lonely tableau decended on "The Cube" (the soundproof glass enclosure where the games take place) when both players retreated to their backstage lounges to collect and refresh themselves after Black's 17th move.

When Gukesh played 22.Bf4, a move that Ding admitted he completely missed, Black had an uphill battle ahead. It seems nerves were in play when Ding played 30...Qf7 allowing the devistating 31.Rxe8! a move Gukesh did not play. Instead, Ding dodged a bullet when Gukesh put 31.Ne4 on the board. Then Ding had to find the tricky "only" move 31...Rd8, which he did with less than five minutes on his clock. For Gukesh's part, he admitted that he had missed this move and thought he had a winning position. After this save, the game continued for another 30-plus moves and was decided by a triple-repeated position on move 68.

In this five-hour contest, Ding showed consummate professionalism and Gukesh breathtaking fighting spirit.

The final classical game of the Match is tomorrow.

If tiebreaks are necessary the format will be:

Four games at 15 minutes + 10 seconds increment

If the score is still tied:

Two games at 10 minutes + 5 seconds increment

If the score is still tied:

Games at 3 minutes + 2 seconds increment until there is a winner.

Ding Liren "chillin'" in his backstage lounge during Game 13 of the FIDE 2024 World Chess Championship Match.

(image courtesy FIDE/Eric Rosen)

Fun Fact: The first move of today's game was ceremoniously played by FIDE president Akady Dvorkovich. FIDE, the international govering body for chess, was established on July 20, 1924 in Paris, France.

Tomorrow is the final classical game of the Match. Game 14 will begin on Thurssday, December 12th at 4:00 a.m. eastern (5:00 p.m. local time in Singapore).

Livestream, Schedule, Current Match Score and More:
>> Official Site of the 2024 FIDE World Chess Championship <<

>> Replay Game 13 <<