The turn of events in the 2024 World Chess Championship between D Gukesh and Ding Liren made it clear that, with nine draws by game 13, it became all but certain this edition could end in a tie and require a tiebreaker. But what exactly is a tiebreaker? (More Chess News)

Firstly, a tiebreaker is not a stranger to the reigning champion. Ding Liren, the first Chinese chess world champion, won the tiebreaks against Nepomniachtchi of Russia in 2023 to claim the title.

For Gukesh, however, it may be a more daunting task. The fact remains that Ding is the stronger player in faster time controls. In both rapid and blitz, Ding's FIDE Elo rating is in the late 2700s, while Gukesh's ratings are in the mid-2600s.

The 32-year-old may also face a similar battle in the ongoing World Chess Championship. The 18-year-old prodigy from India, Gukesh, put on a good fight against the Chinese Grandmaster. Gukesh led 6-5 before losing Game 12, and after 13 games in a 14-match series, the score is tied at 6.5-6.5.

According to FIDE, the player who achieves an early 7.5-point tally first in a 14-game series is expected to emerge as the World Chess Champion.

However, with 6.5-6.5 and only one game in hand, the title will be played out in the final game itself (fingers crossed).

But, What Happens If The World Chess Championship Is Still Tied After All 14 Games?

This is one question among others that people keep wondering, what happens when at the end of the 14 games both are tied; who will win next year's World Chess Championship? The winner will be determined by playing games under fast time controls.

Keeping in mind the nature of sport, the FIDE and organizers have presented the tiebreak pattern for the 2024 World Chess Championship. The games to be played with faster time controls will determine the winner if the series is tied after 14 games.

The World Chess Championship 2024 tiebreakers will be played on 13 December (Friday).

What Is The Format Of Tiebreakers?

In the first part of the tiebreaks, Gukesh will clash with Ding Liren in a four-game playoff, where both of them have 15 minutes for the match and 10 seconds added each time they make a move.

If this phase doesn’t produce a winner, the time controls will continue to shorten, increasing the intensity and pressure as the match progresses.

Rapid Match: Four games, each with a time control of 15 minutes per player and a 10-second increment per move. The first player to reach 2.5 points is declared the winner.

Mini Rapid Match (if tied): A two-game series with 10 minutes per player and a 5-second increment per move. The first to score 1.5 points wins.

Blitz Match (if still tied): Two games with a time control of 3 minutes per player and a 2-second increment per move. The first to reach 1.5 points wins.

Sudden Death Blitz (if still tied): Single blitz games with 3 minutes per player and a 2-second increment per move, alternating colors until one player wins a game.

This process is repeated until either player wins a game.

Let’s talk money now, tiebreaks also affect the prize pool, which stands at USD 2.5 million. That’s a substantial amount, roughly INR 21.17 crore.

How Much Will Players Earn If The World Chess Champion Is Decided In Tiebreaks?

Each player usually earns USD 200,000 for every game won at the World Chess Championship, with the remaining prize money split equally. This means both players have already earned nearly INR 3.4 crore for their two wins.

If the World Chess Championship goes to tie-breaks, the winner will take home USD 1.3 million (about INR 11 crore), while the runner-up will earn USD 1.2 million (roughly INR 10 crore).