Gukesh overwhelming favourite but Liren can't be ruled out

Aggression will be the name of the game when Indian youngster Gukesh, already an overwhelming favourite, and seasoned Ding Liren clash in the World championship match even as top players cautioned against writing off the formidable Chinese player.

Starting Monday with the first game, the players are slated to play a maximum of 14 Classical games and the one to cross the 7.5 points marker first will be declared the winner in the USD 2.5 million championship.

In case of a tied result, the games of shorter duration will be played to determine the winner.

As per history, the defending champion has always been given preference over the challenger but the recent performances by both Gukesh and Liren have turned the tide in the favour for the 18-year old Indian, who is incidentally the youngest ever challenger and has the chance to be the youngest ever world champion.

For the records, Liren has slipped to number 23 in world rankings following a string of below average performances since he won the title in 2023.

Gukesh, on the other hand, has risen to number 5 in world ranking and was simply dominant when he annexed the Candidates’ title that qualified him to take on Liren earlier this April.

Liren’s freefall has been attributed to some mental health issues including depression that kept the Chinese away from competitive chess for the major part of 2023.

His return in early 2024 was marked by below par performances and the Chinese had himself conceded that he might lose the match badly some time back.

However, the match is a different ball game in chess wherein it’s not only the skills but also a contest of characters. Liren has proven once that he holds the aces as far as playing tough matches is concerned by beating Russian Ian Nepomniachtchi last year while Gukesh is still looking for that experience.

According to highest rated Indian and world number four Arjun Erigaise, "Gukesh will crush Liren" but world number one Carlsen believes that Liren at his peak will be a well-rounded player compared to the Indian at his peak.

"Based on the current form Gukesh is a significant favourite ahead but based on peak chess ability it is quite even. So if Ding can regain that form, he has a good chance," Carlsen had noted at the just concluded Tata Steel rapid and blitz tournament.

The opening ceremony of the match will be held late on Saturday and the first game will begin at 2:30 PM on Monday. There will be a rest day after every third game.