Gukesh Dommaraju is currently on the top of the world. Him and his country, India, won not one, but two Golds at the recently concluded 45th FIDE Chess Olympiad 2024 in the Open and the Women’s categories. And on top of that, representing the Indian Team in the Open Category on Board 1, Gukesh Dommaraju, also known as Gukesh D, was the best individual player in the whole competition winning against the strongest opponents throughout the Olympiad.
Even before the onset of the Chess Olympiad, there was one certain storyline that every Chess fan had on the back of their minds. The preview of the World Championship Match between Ding Liren and Gukesh D to be played November 25 onwards, in a Classical game of Chess. But what we saw unfold in the Olympiad was a very contrasting picture being painted by both opponents.
On one hand, Gukesh racked up the tournament’s best rating performance of 3056 and a boost of 30.1 in his rating, also winning Gold on Board 1 winning 8 out of his 10 games and drawing only 2 getting a total of 9/10 points. While on the other hand, the Chinese Ding Liren did not even manage a single win the whole Olympiad and also sat out of the game against India. While the latter must surely be the team Captain’s decision, the streak of draws and losses is entirely up to Ding Liren.
It has now been more than 300 days since Liren last won a classical game of Chess, his last win came agaisnt GM Max Warmerdam in Wijk aan Zee on January 27 earlier this year. His loss against Liem Le of Vietnam and rushed game against Nodirbek Abdusattorov tells you the story.
In Gukesh’s case, it seems as if all is well. His wins against the Chinese Wei Yi and Fabiano Caruana will be remembered for a long time and the World Championship match could honestly not have come at a better time. The 18-year-old Indian Grandmaster will be licking his lips like a predator about to pounce on his prey when he faces Ding Liren 2 months down the line.
Sadly for the Neutrals, it looks like the World Championship Match won’t be as evenly matched as we all thought before the Olympiad. Rather, it could be a straightforward walkover courtesy of Gukesh D. Do you think Ding Liren can put up a fight against Gukesh? Let us know in the comments below.
