Ding – Gukesh World Championship Match 2024

Match results

Each game column shows the score earned by that player. 1 = win, ½ = draw, 0 = loss. Points are out of 14.

Results source

Game 1: Ding strikes first in the French

Ding answered Gukesh’s ambitious French Defence setup with active queenside play, despite spending heavily on the clock early in the opening. His knight invasion and queen pressure left White struggling to coordinate, and Gukesh’s tactical oversight turned the initiative into a decisive advantage. Afterwards Ding said he felt very good to win a classical game after such a long wait, while Gukesh stressed that he had expected the best version of the champion. Source

Game 2: A measured reply with Black

Ding chose a quiet Italian Game and the queens came off early, leaving a balanced position with little scope for an immediate attack. Gukesh declined sharper complications and comfortably met the modest pressure before the players repeated moves. Asked about his approach after losing the opener, he explained that an early game with Black was nowhere near a must-win situation. Source

Game 3: Gukesh levels the match

Gukesh changed to a queen’s-pawn opening and challenged Ding’s adventurous bishop placement after an early queen exchange. The central break 19.e4 helped trap the bishop again, and White converted the resulting material advantage. Ding ran out of time in an already lost position, bringing the match level. The win was Gukesh’s first against Ding in classical chess. Source

Game 4: A quiet fianchetto and solid defence

Ding’s first-move knight development led to a quiet setup with a queenside fianchetto rather than a direct opening confrontation. Gukesh found active central squares and met the queenside expansion without giving White a lasting target. Ding explained afterwards that he had intended to play safely, and exchanges eventually produced a drawn rook ending. Source

Game 5: An Exchange French with hidden chances

Gukesh used the Exchange French, but the apparently restrained opening still created a concrete middlegame test. His 23.dxe5 allowed Ding to press in the resulting ending, although the champion did not exploit every chance. Ding later admitted that he had underestimated his position, and the draw kept the match level rather than reflecting an entirely uneventful game. Source

Game 6: Gukesh declines the repetition

Ding returned to the London System and the game appeared ready for a repetition. Gukesh declined it with 26...Qh4, accepting some risk to keep open files and counterplay against the white king. Ding called the queen move a surprise; Gukesh explained that there was still enough play in the position to continue. The extra ambition did not change the result, but it exposed the contrasting practical approaches of the two players. Source

Game 7: Ding survives a marathon defence

A fianchettoed queen’s-pawn opening gave Gukesh persistent pressure, and the struggle continued into a rook-and-minor-piece ending. Ding’s 40...Ke5 let a winning chance slip to White just as the time control arrived. Gukesh could not finish the conversion, and Ding’s active defence brought the game back within drawing distance. It is a demanding study in keeping counterplay alive when a long defence seems close to collapse. Source

Game 8: Counterplay changes hands

Ding’s English Opening met a prepared and unbalanced reply, and Gukesh gained dangerous connected passed pawns on the queenside. Ding’s resource 28.Qe1 helped reverse the direction of the game, to the point that White also had chances to press. Neither player fully appreciated the changing evaluation during play, and Gukesh again avoided a repetition before the game was drawn. Afterwards he praised Ding for finding the queen move so quickly. Source

Game 9: Ding neutralises the fianchetto

Gukesh chose a Catalan-style setup, but Ding’s solid response prevented a lasting opening initiative. The players exchanged central pawns and queens, leaving Black with enough activity to neutralise White’s modest pressure. The draw extended the level score and offered a quieter lesson in meeting a fianchetto without giving the opponent a fixed weakness to attack. Source

Game 10: A quiet London draw

Ding’s London System led to an early queen exchange and extensive simplification. Gukesh had no serious defensive problems, and the remaining bishops could not generate a meaningful breakthrough. The players repeated moves with the score still level. This quieter encounter contrasts with the central complications of Ding’s other London game. Source

Game 11: A pinned pawn decides the game

Gukesh’s Réti setup with an early queenside pawn advance led to a complicated position in which both players used large amounts of time. Ding’s 28...Qc8 overlooked the pin on the b-pawn, allowing 29.Qxc6 to win the knight. The champion resigned immediately, and Gukesh took the match lead for the first time. The short finish should not obscure the difficult calculation and preparation decisions that preceded it. Source

Game 12: Ding’s immediate counterattack

Ding answered his defeat with an English Opening and a convincing positional attack. The central advance 18.d4 established his initiative, while a passed d-pawn and coordinated heavy pieces gradually restricted Black’s defence. The finishing 39.Rxg7+ forced resignation and restored equality in the match. It is one of the clearest games here for studying how a central advantage becomes a direct attack. Source

Game 13: Another escape in the French

The French Defence returned, but Gukesh varied his setup and applied serious pressure with active bishops and rooks. Ding had to find precise defensive resources, including 31...Rf8 and 32...Rc7, when his clock and position were both uncomfortable. Gukesh’s advantage disappeared and a long rook ending was drawn. The result left the championship tied before the final classical game. Source

Game 14: The pawn ending that crowned Gukesh

Ding simplified into a pawn-down rook-and-bishop ending that remained defensible, while Gukesh continued to test him. The natural-looking 55.Rf2 allowed exchanges of both rooks and bishops, producing a lost pawn ending because of White’s bishop placement and king position. Gukesh won the game and the match, describing the discovery as “probably the best moment of my life”. The finish is a memorable warning to calculate the ending after an exchange rather than judge the exchange in isolation. Source