World Championship Game 8: An adventurous draw
04/12/2024 - The eighth game of FIDE World Championship Match 2024, presented by Google, was an absolute thriller. The defending world champion, employed his trusty 1.c4 for the first time in this match. However, the Challenger managed to surprise him with 7...f6. Obviously it was part of his deep preparation. Gukesh thanked his team for coming up with it and hoped that his team will continue to surprise his opponent with such unique moves in the opening. Later, it was the teenager who first got a winning opportunity. He misplaced his knight into a pin which soon fell into a cross pin. He lost an exchange. However, Ding Liren wanted to repeat moves instead of pushing for a win. Gukesh refused as he did not feel his position to be that bad, eventually the game ended in a draw. Game 9 starts tomorrow at 5 p.m. local time, 2:30 p.m. IST. Photo: FIDE/Maria Emelianova