Did Ding Liren hide his game to better surprise his opponent and the world? The outgoing world champion from China, who was said to be out of his depth when it came to defending his title, created a huge surprise on Monday in Singapore by taking command of the world championship from the outset. After 304 days without winning a single classic game, Ding popped up at the right moment, with the blacks, to dominate Dommaraju Gukesh, the 18-year-old Indian challenger.
The youngest winner of the Candidates’ Tournament, who had arrived full of confidence after India’s Olympiad victory in Budapest, was taken by surprise and was unable to react to the Chinese’s offensive, leading 1-0 in a match played over 14 games.
