Giuoco pianissimo

World Champion Ding Liren: Indian challenger Gukesh Dommaraju held World Champion Ding Liren of China in the second game of their World Championship 2024 match at the Sentosa Resorts here on Tuesday, opening his account in this 14-game encounter after losing the opener.

Gukesh considered the overwhelming favourite to claim the title and become the youngest ever World Champion at the age of 18, had suffered a shock defeat in the first game on Monday. So, holding Ding to a draw with black pieces was good for his confidence.

In the second game, the Indian Grandmaster seems to have stabilised the nerves that hit him on the first day. On Tuesday, the Indian teenager survived a surprise sprung by the World Champion, who opted for a rarely played line in King Pawn Opening but neutralised the position to steer the game to a draw through a three-fold repetition of moves.