World Chess Championship 2024, Game 11: Gukesh takes lead, ‘Little India’ celebrates in Singapore

There is a place called Little India here in Singapore. It is literally that: with lots of Indian restaurants, temples, Indian jewelleries and even Ayurvedic pharmacies.

On Sunday evening, a Little India formed at World Resorts Sentosa. A newly arrived big Indian contingent was there when D. Gukesh stepped out of the elevator to walk up to the playing arena, where World Champion Ding Liren had been waiting for him.

The fans shouted ‘Gukesh, Gukesh’ – it is still rather unusual for chess to be so vocal, notwithstanding the Global Chess League – in anticipation. For Gukesh, this was going to be perhaps the most vital game yet of the World chess championship.

He had white pieces. He needed to strike.

AS IT HAPPENED | GUKESH VS DING GAME 11 HIGHLIGHTS

Strike he did, though with considerable assistance from Ding. Gukesh won Game 11 and is ahead in the match for the first time.

He is leading 6-5. The sequence of consecutive draws – seven of them – was finally broken.

Gukesh now needs only 1.5 points from the last three games. That means if he manages to draw those games, the World title will be his.

For Ding, he needs to bounce back with a win. But he doesn’t have much time. At the World championship last year against Ian Nepomniachtchi, he was in a similar situation, but he won Game 12 (“and with white pieces,” he stressed at the press conference).

Game 11 here was a wildly dynamic one. It began with Gukesh opting for Reti Opening and he once again looked perfectly prepared. He even had a one-hour lead on the clock. But the tables turned when he took one hour for his 11th move.

It was Ding who got a more promising position first, but both were struggling due to time pressure, and the game fluctuated. In severe time pressure – when there is not even a minute for a move — mistakes are bound to happen, even at the highest level.

Ding squandered his advantage with a weak ‘g’ pawn push on the 15th move. But, worse was to follow.

ALSO READ | Round 11 could have easily gone the other way as well, admits Gukesh

Gukesh coordinated a potent attack against a queen-side pawn before Ding blundered twice in as many moves, the last one with his queen. That allowed Gukesh to offer his queen as a sacrifice.

Ding’s position was beyond salvation, now. He resigned immediately, on the 29th move.

As Gukesh came out after the game, there were shouts of ‘Gukesh, Gukesh’ again from Little India. Those were happy noises.

A little later, Gukesh said that he didn’t mind that at all.