In the elite echelons of chess, the margin between victory and a drawn result can be vanishingly thin. It’s a brutal lesson that 17-year-old Dommaraju Gukesh learned in painful fashion during his world championship match against Ding Liren.
A Moment’s Hesitation
The critical position arose after Gukesh’s 44th move in a tense middle game. The young Indian grandmaster had outplayed his esteemed Chinese opponent, building a sizeable advantage and putting Ding under immense pressure. With his clock ticking down and the position becoming increasingly complex, the reigning world champion admitted he was close to resigning.
But chess is an unforgiving mistress. A single slip, a momentary lapse in concentration, is all it takes to let a winning chance slip away. On move 46, with just seconds remaining on his clock, Gukesh played Bishop to d1. In an instant, his advantage evaporated.
It was disappointing. I had a very good position but didn’t manage to convert it. That’s the most important thing in chess, to turn advantages into wins.
Gukesh in the post-game press conference
The Cruel Nature of Elite Chess
For the viewers following the moves engine evaluations, it’s easy to wonder why the world’s top players don’t always find the most precise continuation. But over the board, in the heat of battle, it’s all too easy for even the best prepared grandmasters to overlook a crucial detail.
In this case, that detail was the possibility of Ding’s rook reaching the h3-square. By missing this resource, Gukesh allowed his opponent to equalize the position and split the point.
The Match Hangs in the Balance
After seven games, the €2 million match remains deadlocked at 3.5 points apiece. Unlike the last world championship match between Magnus Carlsen and Fabiano Caruana in 2018, which featured 12 consecutive draws, Gukesh and Ding have traded punches from the start.
Both players have engineered promising positions but neither has managed to strike a decisive blow. As the match heads into the second half, the pressure will only intensify.
Sooner or later, someone will have to take a chance to assert their initiative in this match. If it’s taken by either player, it will heap psychological pressure on the other. Pressure does funny things; it almost always leads to missed opportunities.
An expert commentator following the match
The Importance of Seizing Opportunities
For Gukesh, game 7 will go down as a painful missed opportunity. A victory would have propelled him into the lead and struck a powerful psychological blow. Instead, he must regroup and refocus for the challenges ahead.
But perhaps it was a necessary lesson for the young prodigy. In a world championship match, every chance must be ruthlessly pursued. Hesitation can be fatal. Letting an advantage slip away, however fleetingly, is something no world champion can afford.
In world championships, nearly is never enough. It’s those little moments that turn nearly into enough.
Gukesh’s realization after game 7
As the match enters its final stages, it remains impossible to predict a winner. But one thing is certain: the player who proves most adept at seizing their chances, at turning “nearly” into “enough”, will be the one to etch their name in chess history. For Gukesh and Ding, everything remains to play for.
