World Chess Championship: Gukesh overwhelming favourite but Liren can't be ruled out

Indian youngster D Gukesh faces seasoned Ding Liren in World Chess Championship match, with Gukesh favored to win.

Aggression will be the name of the game when Indian youngster D Gukesh, already an overwhelming favourite, and seasoned Ding Liren clash in the World championship match even as top players cautioned against writing off the formidable Chinese player.

Starting on Monday (November 25, 2024) with the first game, the players are slated to play a maximum of 14 Classical games and the one to cross the 7.5 points marker first will be declared the winner in the $2.5 million championship.

In case of a tied result, the games of shorter duration will be played to determine the winner.

As per history, the defending champion has always been given preference over the challenger but the recent performances by both Gukesh and Liren have turned the tide in the favour for the 18-year old Indian, who is incidentally the youngest ever challenger and has the chance to be the youngest ever world champion.

For the records, Liren has slipped to number 23 in world rankings following a string of below average performances since he won the title in 2023.

Gukesh, on the other hand, has risen to number 5 in world ranking and was simply dominant when he annexed the Candidates’ title that qualified him to take on Liren earlier this April.

Liren’s freefall has been attributed to some mental health issues including depression that kept the Chinese away from competitive chess for the major part of 2023.