The pressure of a high-stakes match overwhelmed Chinese Grandmaster and reigning world chess champion Ding Liren, who is often a master of close endings. Because of this, Ding was unable to defend his title, and his opponent, indian GM D Gukesh, became the youngest World Chess championship winner ever. In an unexpected turn of events, Ding shot himself in the foot just as it appeared that the last game would result in a draw and that tiebreaks were certain. But Gukesh didn't let us down.
Ding, who had drawn Game 13 on wednesday despite being in an even more difficult scenario, made a very simple mistake. Ding appeared to have the advantage over Gukesh during the 14-game series, particularly when the clock was not on his side. But in the crucial Game 14, when it counted most, Ding fell apart. To everyone's amazement, he consented to switch rooks, seemingly oblivious to the fact that Gukesh could also remove the bishops. Ding was as shocked as everybody when he realised that he had handed Gukesh the winning king and pawn endgame. During the press conference held after the game, Ding stated, "I was completely shocked when I realised I made a mistake." "I didn't realise at first that I was winning. It was the happiest moment of my life when I knew I was winning," Gukesh said. In a heartbreaking admission of defeat, Ding Liren said, "I believe I played my greatest tournament of the year. Although it may be better, losing in the end is a fair outcome given yesterday's fortunate survival. I don't regret anything. "I've been living this moment for ten years now, since I was seven years old. Every chess player wants to try something new right now but isn't given the opportunity. My dream is coming true. Gukesh 7.5-6.5 Ding Liren was the final score.
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