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Gukesh To Play White Vs. Ding Liren In World Championship Game 1

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Gukesh To Play White Vs. Ding Liren In World Championship Game 1

GM Gukesh Dommaraju will have the white pieces against GM Ding Liren for Monday’s game one of the 2024 FIDE World Championship after the opening ceremony concluded in the Capitol Theatre in Singapore. At an earlier press conference Ding, who’s again accompanied by GM Richard Rapport, said, “I feel peace and with a lot of energy,” while Gukesh paid glowing tributes to “huge icon” GM Viswanathan Anand and his coach GM Grzegorz Gajewski, adding, “I’m confident I have all the chances in the world.”

The landmarks above Ding and Gukesh changed into kings to show the colors for Game 1. Screenshot: YouTube/FIDE.

The main business of Saturday’s “media day” of the World Championship was to decide who would get the white pieces and make the first move in game one of the match. That was decided in a smoothly-run 35-minute opening ceremony in the Capitol Theatre, which began with speeches from dignitaries before a holographic presentation concluded with a drawing of lots. The players picked and stood under an iconic Singapore landmark, before it changed into a white king for Gukesh and a black king for Ding.

You can watch the full opening ceremony below.

Earlier in the day the players had attended the first press conference of the match in the same venue.

GM Maurice Ashley was the host, while FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich and Singapore Chess Federation CEO and Chairman of the Organizing Committee GM Kevin Goh Wei Ming also answered questions. 

The opening press conference is a world championship tradition. Photo: Maria Emelianova/Chess.com.

Dvorkovich noted that after Gukesh won the FIDE Candidates and it was known we would have the first world chess championship match between two Asian players in 138 years, “My immediate thought was that Singapore was the best location for it.” He pointed to its being a neutral country between the giants of China and India, while Goh pointed to enthusiastic government support. He also had a private story to tell:

“I also have a very small personal connection to both chess players. I had the rather dubious experience of contributing to Gukesh’s first grandmaster norm, when I lost to him when he was a 12-year-old, and I’ve also encountered Ding Liren’s football skills about 11 years ago.”

The main focus, of course, was on the players, who both looked rested and ready.

There were no big jokes, or dramatic moments, with the tension much lower than in opening press conferences for previous matches, but that didn’t mean there were no surprising moments.

Ding especially raised eyebrows when he commented, “I started to prepare for this tournament three weeks ago,” while he also revealed he’d been reviewing his recent unsuccessful games the day before. Gukesh, meanwhile, was composure personified, as he calmly answered all the questions and said about personal issues that affect chess players, “I think in this case my age helps me a lot because I don’t have much of a personal life!”

Ding and Gukesh were calm and full of mutual respect, but we can expect a battle ahead on the chessboard. Photo: Maria Emelianova/Chess.com.

You can watch the full press conference below, and we’ve provided a transcript of all the answers by the players.

Question: What’s different being a defending champion this time around?

Ding Liren: Well, last time my first world championship match I was very nervous, I said many times, but this time I feel peace and with a lot of energy, and I hope we can produce an exciting match as the last time because the last time we really achieved a lot of spectators to join us. This is what I hope.

This time I feel peace and with a lot of energy.

—Ding Liren 

Ding Liren looked in good spirits throughout. Photo: Maria Emelianova/Chess.com.

Q: How do you feel about the match being hosted in Singapore?

Ding: It’s my first time here and although it’s not a very big country, there are many famous places to visit and my friend already suggested me to visit some [street] and I haven’t been yet. My feeling is here is a very warm country; it’s not so cold, especially in the winter. Also here this morning I faced many fans from all [over] the country. They gave me a warm welcome; they gave me a lot of gifts, their handwritten letters—that made me feel very welcome.

Q: How does it feel to face a teenage challenger?

Ding: Well, it’s not so fun to play against a player younger than me. Last time I played against Nepo he was older, but here I am the older one and I have more experience than him. He’s younger, but he’s displayed he’s mature in many aspects. He’s not an easy one to beat, of course, and yes, I hope we can both perform our best.

Q: Do you feel nervous playing your first world championship?

Gukesh Dommaraju: First of all, I’m very glad to be here. It’s a world championship and it’s a very special event, and I’ve been looking forward to being here since the time I started playing chess, so I’m thankful to everyone who made this happen, and I love to be here in Singapore. It’s a very nice place and a great venue for the match. Thank you for everyone who made this happen, and yeah, there are certainly some nerves, but yeah, I feel good about it. I’m eager to start playing, and the only thought I have is to give my best and see what happens.

I’ve been looking forward to being here since the time I started playing chess.

—Gukesh Dommaraju on the world championship

Q: How do you feel about Anand and his support of Indian chess?

Gukesh: It’s an honor and privilege for me to play for India in any kind of event, especially an event like the Olympiad or the world championship, such a huge event to represent my country and to carry the hopes of the Indians is an honor for me and I take that very seriously. Obviously Vishy sir from a very young age I’ve seen him, I’ve been inspired by him, and to know that I’m playing in the World Championship, after Vishy sir has done that for so many years, is very special. I can’t thank Vishy sir enough, because he’s not only been an inspiration but has taken upon himself to develop the next generation, not only me, but through his WestBridge Anand Academy has helped a lot of youngsters and for sure he’s the biggest reason why chess is what it is in India. Vishy sir is a huge icon for me.

He’s the biggest reason why chess is what it is in India. Vishy sir is a huge icon for me.

—Gukesh Dommaraju

Gukesh has a chance to write chess history for himself and Indian chess. Photo: Maria Emelianova/Chess.com.

Q: How will you show your best chess after a difficult couple of years?

Ding: Yesterday I reviewed my games from recent times, and I saw I played… the quality was not so good, and I can see very low. Also my fighting spirit was not so high, I made many short draws, and I also drew even in some much better positions. I don’t know exactly the reason behind it, but it’s far from my peak performance. Yes, I intend to review some of my best games to regain some impressions, to see how I can beat such strong players. Here I think I need to refind this kind of confidence and also the fighting spirit to perform better.

Q: Is your mindset and preparation affected by not knowing who you’re going to face, the world number-two, or an out-of-form opponent?

Gukesh: For me it’s pretty clear who I’m going to face. I’m going to face Ding Liren, who is one of the best players in the world for more than a decade, and my job is also pretty clear, just go to every game as the best version of myself and play the best moves in the position, and if I do that, if I keep playing good chess, stay in the right spirits, then I think even with his recent form, even at his best, I don’t think it really matters. If I’m doing the right things, I’m confident I have all the chances in the world.

I’m going to face Ding Liren, who is one of the best players in the world for more than a decade… If I’m doing the right things, I’m confident I have all the chances in the world.

—Gukesh Dommaraju

Q: How are you so composed?

Gukesh: I won’t say I’m super-calm, I’m surely excited to be here, and I know this is a big event and I’m super-excited and I’m sure I will be nervous, but I know that I can handle any kind of nerves. Even if my heart is beating fast and I’m nervous, I know that I can handle that. As long as I’m confident in my skills, I don’t have anything to worry about.

Q: Could you tell us a bit about your preparation for this match?

Ding: I started to prepare for this tournament three weeks ago, I guess. I trained with my coach and seconds. As usual we analyzed some opening lines, also played some games, the common routine for the world championship match. Also I brought some seconds here. I can say I spent more time than last time on preparing.

I started to prepare for this tournament three weeks ago… I can say I spent more time than last time on preparing.

—Ding Liren

Gukesh: Since the moment I qualified for the match, it has been the main thing on my mind and me and my team we’ve prepared in the best way possible. Gajewski, my trainer, is here with me, and all my other team members they all did a great job. I’m super-happy with my preparation, and now it’s all about doing the right things and using that preparation.

Grzegorz Gajewski (right) showed true dedication by attending the opening press conference. Photo: Maria Emelianova/Chess.com.

Q: Who are your seconds?

Ding: I bring two seconds here and I think you can see them when the match is approaching.

Gukesh: I have a very nice team and I’m very happy with my team members and I’m grateful for them. We’ll continue this journey for another one month. It has been a super-fun experience. I can’t reveal yet all my team members, but as you can see Gajewski is here with me, my trainer, and there are a few others.

Q: How is the level of excitement in your country?

Ding: Actually when I’m in Singapore, I feel not so far from my home because nearly everybody here can speak Chinese, so we have a very good relationship between the organizers. So it’s not so far from home. Also in China they knew I will come to play a world championship match, and many videos they record videos to give me some energy to cheer me up. Also I think they’ll be live for the kids, for the matches, and especially the time is very friendly for Chinese spectators. There’s no time difference between the two countries and it starts at five. Normally when things are heating up, it’s the time in China when everybody’s having their dinner and they’ve finished their jobs, so I think there will be many Chinese fans watching this championship.

When I’m in Singapore, I feel not so far from my home because nearly everybody here can speak Chinese.

—Ding Liren

Gukesh: Already for a few years chess has been huge in India and it’s growing rapidly. The players, the fans, the government support, everything is going really well, and I’m really happy with how my country is treating chess and the players, and this event I’m sure it will be something that Indians will really look forward to and will be following passionately. I have seen so much love and support from the people, and it gives me a lot of energy so I would like to thank all the fans, and I hope I can make all of them happy.

Q: Is it as decisive as they say to be the first to win a game, or is there enough room for a comeback?

Ding: I think everybody would choose to win first, but the one who wins last has the biggest smile.

I think everybody would choose to win first, but the one who wins last has the biggest smile.

—Ding Liren

Both players were often smiling at the press conference. Photo: Maria Emelianova/Chess.com.

Gukesh: I guess in any situation it’s all about how I react to it, and I’ve prepared my best for all kinds of scenarios, and I’m just here to perform and do my best in any kind of situation.

Q: How important is it to find a balance between trying to win but also not losing?

Ding: I think this is quite important, especially [since] the tie is equal, and it’s a psychological problem if you try all your best, try everything to win desperately, or you settle for a normal game. It will be a choice. Last match, last game, I tried too hard to play for a win, just an equal position, and I nearly misplayed it and I just barely survived a very difficult position.

Gukesh: For sure, it’s a very important thing to find the right balance. As in everything, there always needs to be some balance. It’s not easy to always maintain this, but we’ve played so many games we have good experience. We can learn from our experience and do the best in the situation. It basically depends on the situation, but it’s something that obviously every player needs to keep in mind.

Q: What physical preparation have they done for the match?

Ding: We spend a lot of time on sports. We many play many kinds of ball games, like soccer, basketball, badminton, also table tennis, a lot of stuff. I really enjoy playing football, playing all kinds of sports, also including chess!

I really enjoy playing football, playing all kinds of sports, also including chess!

—Ding Liren

Gukesh: I always like to do some physical exercise and in general I try to keep as fit as possible, and especially for the world championship, I’ve also been working with a doctor who has also helped me a lot with my fitness, and I’ve done a lot of things. I played some sports regularly, I did some yoga, I did some workouts. I’m pretty happy with my preparation.

Q: Carlsen said one of the reasons for giving up the title was the months of preparation—did you enjoy the process of preparing?

Gukesh: Yes, for sure, I think where me and Magnus come from are very different, because he has been doing this for maybe close to 10 years, and this is the first experience of the world championship for me, and it’s all new for me and it’s easier to enjoy and be excited about this compared to Magnus. For sure there has to be some hard work done, but I love chess. I’m learning something new, I’ve learned a lot of new things in these last few months and yeah, I’m very happy with the preparation and I was also able to enjoy it very much.

This is the first experience of the world championship for me, and it’s all new for me and it’s easier to enjoy and be excited about this compared to Magnus.

—Gukesh Dommaraju

It’s all new to Gukesh, although he handles himself as though he’s a veteran of such matches. Photo: Maria Emelianova/Chess.com.

Ding: Yes, definitely, it requires more preparation than the other tournaments. My coach always says I’m lazy, I don’t want to remember a lot of stuff, because I’m used to playing normal tournaments, but here things are different. Sometimes you need to remember a lot and prepare for every aspect of the positions to make sure you didn’t miss anything. So I think really a lot of work has been done.

My coach always says I’m lazy!

—Ding Liren

Q: What are your thoughts on the new world championship time control [120 minutes/40 moves, then 30 minutes to the end of the game, with a 30-second increment from move 41]?

Ding: Yes, it’s quite a short time control with not so much time for thinking. Last time I remember the second time control, there we both had more time to think, but this time only 30 minutes. It’s like the Olympiad or the other important tournaments, maybe we cut the time control to produce more interesting games, to see players’ performance in time trouble, but we are used to playing very fast games, so I think we can handle it.

Gukesh: This time control is a bit shorter than the previous world championships, but I’ve also had experience with this time control in the Candidates. It was the same in Toronto, so it’s something to keep in mind that it’s a bit shorter than the matches, but I think it’s a very nice time control. It’s a nice thing that I already have experience this year playing in the same control.

Q: To what extent can a chess player detach themselves from their personal problems in such an important competition?

Ding: Normally I can handle it quite well. When playing chess, I did not consider the other things, but maybe last year I did not play so well, but I think when we come to the stage to play chess, we need to forget about the other things—mainly only focus on the game itself.

Ding wasn’t fazed by the discussion of personal issues. At the opening ceremony IM Hsu Li Yang, a medical doctor and President of the Singapore Chess Federation, praised Ding for openly talking about his mental health issues. Photo: Maria Emelianova/Chess.com.

Gukesh: I think in this case my age helps me a lot because I don’t have much of a personal life. My whole life revolves around chess. Everything is taken care about by my parents and my team, and my only job is just to play chess, so that is quite nice.

I think in this case my age helps a lot because I don’t have much of a personal life… my only job is just to play chess.

—Gukesh Dommaraju

Q: What does tomorrow look like—last-minute preparation or relaxation?

Ding: Tomorrow is the last rest day before the match begins. I guess after today’s drawing of lots we will know the color for the first round, and I will definitely prepare for the first game. There will be a lot of chess.

Gukesh: It’ll be a bit of a chess; it will be a bit of resting. It’s usually how I spend the rest days in general. It depends on my mood. I will obviously see some chess; I will do some other things—a bit of everything.

Q: Did you speak to Vishy Anand before this world championship?

Gukesh: Vishy, first of all it’s nice to see him here, I’m very glad about that, and also from the start he has been an inspiration. He has been a role model, he still is, and not only just an inspiration but also I was part of his Academy, WACA, from 2021 and I’ve learned a lot from him. He’s helped not only me but a lot of youngsters and before the match we spoke a bit. It’s always nice not in very detail or anything, but just his thoughts and just having any kind of conversation with him is super-enjoyable, first of all, and very instructive. Vishy sir has been a huge part of my life and he remains a very important person.

Vishy sir has been a huge part of my life and he remains a very important person.

—Gukesh Dommaraju

Q: Do they agree with Carlsen that other forms of chess may represent a purer long-form game than normal classical game? [The question referred more to Freestyle Chess, though neither player realized and they assumed it was about classical vs. rapid/blitz chess.]

Ding: I think it depends. If the game is a very long, forced theoretical draw that’s been played before, then everybody will be bored by that. But there are games that are very exciting battles and even if it ends up in a draw, it will be a fighting game. Sometimes classical chess will produce many high-quality games.

Gukesh: It depends on the personal opinion mostly. I enjoy classical chess more because it gives more time to play higher-quality games, and I love to see games with a higher quality, but also rapid and blitz is more exciting for the fans, so yeah, different formats… For example, in India cricket is super popular. In cricket there is also test cricket, there’s the one-day format, and T20, and I think it’s the same with chess. We have world championships for all formats, and for me classical chess is no less exciting than rapid and blitz. I understand that there are some players who don’t fight as much in classical as in other formats, but if the players are looking forward to playing fighting chess, then classical is super-exciting.

Fabiano Caruana and Magnus Carlsen were in Singapore promoting a different kind of chess. Photo: Stev Bonhage/Freestyle Chess.

Q: How has your game grown or evolved since Gajewski joined you full-time?

Gukesh: We started working together around 2022, in December, in preparation for the Wijk aan Zee tournament in 2023, and initially we were working on a tournament basis, and then we’ve had some very nice experiences together, and I really enjoyed working with him and I hope it’s still the same for Gaju, and then we decided to partner full-time. He became my official coach, and the biggest influence he has had on me was the kind of approach I have to chess had changed. I mean I was a very narrow-minded chess player. He opened me up to many different approaches and ideas, and obviously with his work it’s mostly based on openings. My openings have improved a lot over the last couple of years, but also other parts of my game. We have worked together a lot, especially after we started training exclusively and what can I say, the last couple of years, Gaju, other than my parents, is simply the biggest influence on my chess and life. 

The last couple of years, Gaju, other than my parents, is simply the biggest influence on my chess and life.

—Gukesh Dommaraju

Gukesh has White vs. Ding when the 14-game FIDE World Championship kicks off at 4 a.m. ET / 10:00 CET / 14:30 IST this Monday, November 25. GM Judit Polgar, GM Daniel Naroditsky, and John Sargent will be commentating on all the action from the 2024 FIDE World Championship.

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