World Chess Championship final: Round 4 draw keeps Gukesh and Ding Liren level at 2-2

India’s star chess player, D Gukesh and China’s current world champion, Ding Liren, have tied their fourth game in the World Chess Championship final in Singapore. The score stands at 2-2. Gukesh, who is only 18, brought the series to a tie on Wednesday. Ding had won the first game and the second game was a draw. In the third game, Ding lost because he ran out of time. On Friday, both players played conservatively, resulting in another draw.

Tough game for Gukesh

This latest game seemed destined for a draw from the start. Ding tried an aggressive move into Gukesh’s side, but it didn’t change the outcome. Ding said that he took a rest day to recover and felt confident going into this round. Gukesh shared his belief in making good moves, quoting Bobby Fischer. He spent a lot of time, 20 minutes and 38 seconds, on a single move during the game. He also mentioned that he had some chances but couldn’t capitalise much with the black pieces.

After the game, Ding shared his thoughts on the game. He said that he had wanted to surprise Gukesh. “I had a day to recover after a tough loss (in the third game) and wanted to surprise my opponent with this opening idea,” he said. “And it worked well. It was not so bad.”

Results so far at World Chess Championship

• Nov 25: Ding Liren wins Game 1
• Nov 26: Game 2 drawn
• Nov 27: Gukesh wins Game 3
• Nov 28: Rest Day
• Nov 29: Game 4 drawn

Championship format

The first player to achieve 7.5 points will win the championship. If tied at seven points after 14 games, tie-breakers will decide the winner. The next game is on Saturday, with a rest day on Monday. The final game is scheduled for December 12, with a tie-break on December 13 if needed.