Ding Liren ahead of his World Championship showdown with Gukesh: "A match is a match"

In the run-up to the FIDE World Chess Championship at the end of November, where he will play against 18-year-old Dommaraju Gukesh, the reigning World Champion from China, Ding Liren, gave an interview where he spoke about the challenges he faces, both on and off the board.

In the interview, Ding was open about the shortfalls in his recent performance: "I know my performances haven't been up to my usual high standards," Ding admitted, citing his underwhelming result at the recent Olympiad in Budapest, where he scored just 3.5 points from eight games, including one loss and no victories.

Photo: Michal Walusza

"But at the end of the day, a match is a match. It's between two players. When one player starts to hit his stride, how the opponent reacts depends on their experience and how they handle the situation at the moment," Ding said, emphasizing that match play and tournament play "are two different things."

When asked about his preparation for Singapore, Ding said his focus is more on the middlegame, an area where his challenger excels. "I'm more cautious towards the middle stage of the game because Gukesh is strong in strategy, the middle game, and positional understanding," Ding explained.

While noting that he and Gukesh are not close and, therefore, he doesn't know much about him, Ding said he expects to "get to know him better as the match goes on." Still, he gave credit to the maturity the 18-year-old Indian is showing on the board. "He's good at strategic understanding… he plays like a seasoned player despite his young age."

Photo: Saint Louis Chess Club | Lennart Ootes

Ding was also asked to share thoughts on the rise of the younger generation in chess. "They play without any restriction or dogma that the previous generation had," he said, noting they constantly play for initiative and are more creative in opening preparation.

On a personal level, Ding said his life has remained largely unchanged since becoming World Champion in 2023, though he admitted to a dip in his professional form. "My career might have taken a downward turn, but I believe there will be a turning point soon," he added.

In the second part of 2023, Ding took a break from chess, in part to address mental health challenges. Despite the poor showing in Budapest, he said he believes participation in the Olympiad helped him to regain focus ahead of the championship.

Photo: Saint Louis Chess Club | Lennart Ootes

"My current state is neither exceptionally good nor bad, but I've definitely moved past the worst moments of the last one and a half years. I know I've been playing great chess—I just couldn't convert some positions. I still believe I can turn that around, maybe during the match."

As for the venue, Ding seemed comfortable. Although he has never been to Singapore, Ding said he is "not worried" about the facilities and has already sampled some of the local cuisine, which he enjoyed.

The FIDE World Championship Match is one of the most important and widely watched chess events globally. Held every two years, it features the defending World Champion and the Challenger, chosen through a qualification process culminating in the Candidates Tournament, which includes eight of the world's top players.

The defending Champion is Ding Liren, who won the title after defeating Ian Nepomniachtchi in Astana, Kazakhstan, in April 2023 on tiebreaks. The Challenger is the 18-year-old Gukesh D from India, who won the Candidates Tournament in April 2024 in Toronto.

The World Championship Match will consist of 14 games. The player who scores 7.5 points or more wins the Match, and no further games are played. If the score is equal after 14 games, the winner is decided by a tiebreak.