The historical past of the World Chess Championships informs us that Sport 6 of the battle is normally the place all of it kicks off. If one is betting for a decisive sport within the World Championship, Sport 6 can be a secure horse to position stakes on.
Each occasions Magnus Carlsen took on Viswanathan Anand, first in Chennai in 2013 after which in Sochi the subsequent 12 months, the Norwegian defeated the Indian in Sport 6.
Sport 6 can also be the place Bobby Fischer defeated Boris Spassky within the iconic 1972 World Chess Championship to surge into the lead for the primary time. Legend has it that the win was so good that Spassky had even bounced to his ft after the sport and applauded the American.
Sport 6 was additionally the place Carlsen defeated Ian Nepomnichtchi for the primary time of their 2021 World Chess Championship battle, a royal rumble that endured for nearly eight hours with gamers making 136 strikes every.
So a lot was anticipated from Sunday’s sport between D Gukesh and Ding Liren. However destiny — and Ding himself — had different concepts, enjoying on for a hard-fought draw towards his 18-year-old challenger.
However a minimum of the post-game press convention had a couple of moments of sparkle.
Ding not chillin’
After Sport 5, Gukesh had spoken about how he was not conscious of compatriot Nihal Sarin profitable the President’s Cup in Uzbekistan as a result of he was solely in touch together with his inside circle for the World Chess Championship. The whole lot else was a distraction and had been lower out.
Ding Liren too appears to have lower himself off from social media. He was requested after Sport 6 if he had seen the now-viral phrase and meme of Ding Chillin’.
Gukesh and Ding Liren react throughout Sport 6 of the World Chess Championship. (PHOTO: Eng Chin An by way of FIDE Flickr)
The phrase is a play on “bing chilling”, which is how the phrase ice-cream sounds in Mandarin (bing qi lin). The phrase “bing chilling” turned common world over when John Cena stated it throughout a promotional video when visiting China.
Since Ding Liren was noticed sitting in his participant’s lounge in an earlier sport in a relaxed-looking state, followers conscious of the “bing chilling” phrase tailored it to begin referring to the world champion with the endearingly-coined Ding Chillin’.
Ding reacts to his Chilling Memes 😂❤️🫂
Edit: @ram_abhyudaya#chess #dingliren #gukesh pic.twitter.com/ZNWmlkjFKJ
— ChessBase India (@ChessbaseIndia) December 1, 2024
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In fact, the person in the midst of the meme was completely unaware of Ding Chillin’, or the that means of the phrase ‘chilling’ itself.
“What does chilling imply?” he requested because the press room broke in loud guffaws.
Ding Liren smiled. Even Gukesh broke into amusing at his rival’s reply.
When advised by the moderator, Grandmaster Maurice Ashley, that to relax means to chill out and that there was additionally a connection to an ice cream model in China, Ding Liren answered: “I didn’t have ice cream right here.”
Thinker Ding Liren
Ding was additionally grilled about his preparation in Sport 6 when he halted to ponder his subsequent transfer regardless of being at the beginning of his prep. Particularly, he was requested why he was spending time serious about his subsequent transfer if he had already memorised the road earlier than the sport.
Gukesh and Ding Liren react throughout Sport 6 of the World Chess Championship. (PHOTO: Eng Chin An by way of FIDE Flickr)
Ding Liren, who is understood to often name-drop philosophers, authors and poets in his replies, retorted: “As a result of there are such a lot of strains to organize and this was simply one of many strains. Preparation is like an iceberg. You noticed the place that arose (the tip of the iceberg). However there are a number of preparations that didn’t seem on the board. It’s underneath the ocean.”
World Champion dream
Each gamers had been additionally requested a hypothetical query: what can be the very first thing they do in the event that they turned world champion?
Gukesh replies with a smile: “I don’t know. I assume I can be completely satisfied first.”
Now Ding, who has already skilled the sensation final 12 months, weighs in. “Final time I cried after profitable the world title. This time I’ll smile.”
Simul bother for Vishy Anand
On the sidelines of the World Chess Championship, five-time world champion Anand was enjoying a bunch of children in a simultaneous exhibition match (additionally known as simul) in Singapore. In a simul, a grandmaster walks round whereas concurrently enjoying towards a number of opponents on a number of boards.
Viswanathan Anand within the FIDE commentary field with GM David Howell and IM Jovanka Houska throughout Sport 6 of the World Chess Championship between
Gukesh and Ding Liren. (PHOTO: Eng Chin An by way of FIDE Flickr)
In fact, Anand received all of the video games he performed. However afterward, he admitted that enjoying in simuls was getting trickier each passing 12 months.
“Had a couple of cute video games immediately. Giving a simul was a pleasure about 15-20 years again. Then it stopped being enjoyable. Now you simply work a lot tougher. There are tales of gamers who sit there and work for 4 and 5 hours as a result of their opponents discover assets, they play properly, they’re higher ready. The typical stage has gone up quite a bit. So it’s a lot tougher nowadays,” Anand lamented on the FIDE YouTube stream in the midst of sport 6 on Sunday.
“There aren’t any simple video games anymore. When a teenager performs a transfer, I believe, ‘Oh my God!’ After which I calculate the entire line. Even when it’s an harmless transfer which is definitely a nasty transfer, you’re unsure anymore. Perhaps the pc has stated one thing. It scares the hell out of you,” shrugged Anand.