Gukesh takes a gamble but Game 6 too ends in a draw

The teenager spurned world champion Ding Liren's early peace offer before battling to split the point after 46 moves in Singapore

- Susan Ninan

BENGALURU: Game 6 of the FIDE World Championship has picked up a bit of a reputation over the years. Three years ago, Magnus Carlsen and Ian Nepomniachtchi slugged it out for close to eight hours and 136 moves, the longest in World Championship history, and Carlsen emerged with a win. It brought a breakthrough – the first decisive result in the classical stage of a World Championship match, breaking a streak of five years and 19 consecutive draws.

On Sunday, with the White pieces, reigning world champion Ding Liren blitzed out his preparation and seemed to be comfortably in control before considering playing out a three-fold repetition, to some surprise. Challenger Gukesh, living up to Game 6 tradition, chose drama and battle. In a slightly inferior endgame, the Indian teen declined a three-fold repetition, rejecting an early draw offer and chose to bravely forge ahead, pushing his Queen to the h4 square (instead of Qe7) on move 26.

It was a gamble. One that could have backfired. GM Peter Leko called it a "huge mistake" on the chess24 live broadcast stream, likening it to a naked man jumping onto a cactus. Gukesh defended well, the worst never came his way and the game ended in a draw anyway after 46 moves. The match is now tied at 3-3, heading into the second rest day on Monday.