D Gukesh Vs Ding Liren, World Chess Championship Game 8 Highlights: Both Players Settle For Fifth Consecutive Draw; Scores Level At 4-4

Hey everyone, we’re back with another live blog. Game 8 of the FIDE World Chess Championship is happening today, (Wednesday, December 4). Indian Grandmaster D Gukesh is set to face China’s Ding Liren with the match tied at 3.5–3.5. Gukesh is looking to break the deadlock and take the lead. Stay tuned to Outlook for all the live updates and moves.

The D Gukesh vs Ding Liren, FIDE World Chess Championship 2024 match will be live-streamed on FIDE (international chess federation)'s social media handles (YouTube, Twitch), as well as the social media handles (YouTube, Twitch) of chess.com. It will not be telecast on any TV channel in India.

Game 1 - Ding Liren beat Gukesh

Game 2 - Round ended in a draw

Game 3 - Gukesh beat Ding Liren

Game 4 - Round ended in a draw

Game 5 - Round ended in a draw

Game 6 - Round ended in a draw

Game 7 - Round ended in a draw

The 2024 World Chess Championship match between D Gukesh and Ding Liren will consist of 14 games. The first player to reach 7.5 points will be crowned the World Champion. If the match is tied after all 14 games, a tiebreak will be held the following day to determine the winner.

Ding Liren is playing with Whites and D Gukesh is with Blacks. Liren started Game 8 with English opening and played a C4. Gukesh responded with E5.

1st move - c4 e5

2nd move - Nc3 Bb4

3rd move - Nd5 Be7

4th move - Nf3 d6

5th move - g3 c6

6th move - Nxe7 Nxe7

7th move - Bg2 f6

8th move - O-O Be6

9th move - b3 d5

10th move - Ba3 O-O

Gukesh continues to make rapid moves and is still following his opening preparation. His quick play has given him a 30-minute lead on the clock. He has been brilliant in keeping Ding out of his preparation from the very beginning, and his innovative approach has surprised the Chinese player significantly.

11th move - Rc1 a5

12th move - Ne1 Re8

13th move - f4 exf4

14th move - Rxf4 dxc4

15th move - bxc4 Ng6

16th move - Re4 Na6

Dommaraju Gukesh has a 30-minute edge over Ding Liren in Game 8 and the Indian also has better accuracy in the game so far.

Indian GM Dommaraju Gukesh is leading in the game with 1 hour and 12 minutes left whereas Ding Liren have only 33.41 minutes left. Indian chess players have an accuracy rate of 98.9 whereas Liren's accuracy is a little lower at 98.6.

17th move - Nc2 Qc7

18th move - Nd4 Bf7

19th move - d3 Ne5

20th move - Nf3 Nd7

Ding's move of the rook to b1 does not seem very promising, and he only has 18 minutes left on the clock. With 16 moves remaining to reach 40 moves, time is tightening for him. On the other hand, Gukesh has nearly 50 minutes to make his moves. If Ding makes another poor move, the evaluation bar will indicate a significant advantage for Gukesh.

Indian GM Dommaraju Gukesh made an inaccuracy mistake after Ding Liren and lost his advantage in the game. Now, Liren has a chance to turn the tables.

Gukesh has lost his time advantage and is now behind Ding’s 12:49 on the clock. With 10 moves still to play, can he manage to salvage a draw?

Ding (White) vs Gukesh (Black)

1. c4 - e5

2. Nc3 - Bb4

3. Nd5 - Be7

4. Nf3 - d6

5. g3 - c6

6. Nxe7 - Nxe7

7. Bg2 - f6

8. O-O - Be6

9. b3 - d5

10. Ba3 - O-O

11. Rc1 - a5

12. Ne1 - Re8

13. f4 - exf4

14. Rxf4 - dxc4

15. bxc4 - Ng6

16. Re4 - Na6

17. Nc2 - Qc7

18. Nd4 - Bf7

19. d3 - Ne5

20. Nf3 - Nd7

21. Rxe8+ - Rxe8

22. Rb1 - b5

23. cxb5 - Qb6+

24. Kf1 - cxb5

25. Bb2 - Bxa2

26. Bd4 - Nac5

27. Rc1 - Bb3

28. Qe1 - Be6

29. Qf2 - Rc8

30. Be3 - Rc7

31. Nd4 - Bf7

32. Nc6 - Rxc6

33. Bxc6 - Qxc6

34. Bxc5 - h6

35. Ke1 - b4

36. Qd4 - Ne5

37. Kd2

While Gukesh remains on the defensive, Ding has just made a blunder. Moving his queen to d4, the engine immediately flagged the move as unfavorable, significantly reducing his advantage.

A potential three-fold repetition is on the horizon at move 40, with the queens repeatedly moving to g2 and f2. Gukesh is carefully considering the draw offer, and it might just be the prudent choice.

Ding (White) vs Gukesh (Black)

1. c4 - e5

2. Nc3 - Bb4

3. Nd5 - Be7

4. Nf3 - d6

5. g3 - c6

6. Nxe7 - Nxe7

7. Bg2 - f6

8. O-O - Be6

9. b3 - d5

10. Ba3 - O-O

11. Rc1 - a5

12. Ne1 - Re8

13. f4 - exf4

14. Rxf4 - dxc4

15. bxc4 - Ng6

16. Re4 - Na6

17. Nc2 - Qc7

18. Nd4 - Bf7

19. d3 - Ne5

20. Nf3 - Nd7

21. Rxe8+ - Rxe8

22. Rb1 - b5

23. cxb5 - Qb6+

24. Kf1 - cxb5

25. Bb2 - Bxa2

26. Bd4 - Nac5

27. Rc1 - Bb3

28. Qe1 - Be6

29. Qf2 - Rc8

30. Be3 - Rc7

31. Nd4 - Bf7

32. Nc6 - Rxc6

33. Bxc6 - Qxc6

34. Bxc5 - h6

35. Ke1 - b4

36. Qd4 - Ne5

37. Kd2 - Qg2

38. Qf2 - Qd5

39. Qd4 - Qg2

40. Qf2 - Qd5

41. Qd4 - Qa2+

The defending champion sits with his head in his hands, seemingly stunned by Gukesh’s decision to reject the draw. After making his move, the Indian challenger walked away from the board, leaving Ding alone in the room, staring at the board and the empty chair across from him.

In a bold move, Gukesh denies the three-fold repetition for the second time in this World Championship, opting to test his chances despite the material imbalance. Ding, appearing visibly displeased, moves his queen to d8, checking Gukesh’s king on g8. Gukesh calmly responds by shifting his king to h7.

Ding then captures one of Gukesh’s pawns that had been threatening to advance, taking it on a5. In response, Gukesh protects his other pawn under threat, moving it to b3.

After four and a half hours of intense play, the players finally agree to call it a draw.

What a game! Ding’s move to e4 initiated a sequence that led to a queen trade, ultimately bringing the players to agree on a draw. A thrilling contest ends with neither side gaining the upper hand.

Ding (White) vs Gukesh (Black)

1. c4 - e5

2. Nc3 - Bb4

3. Nd5 - Be7

4. Nf3 - d6

5. g3 - c6

6. Nxe7 - Nxe7

7. Bg2 - f6

8. O-O - Be6

9. b3 - d5

10. Ba3 - O-O

11. Rc1 - a5

12. Ne1 - Re8

13. f4 - exf4

14. Rxf4 - dxc4

15. bxc4 - Ng6

16. Re4 - Na6

17. Nc2 - Qc7

18. Nd4 - Bf7

19. d3 - Ne5

20. Nf3 - Nd7

21. Rxe8+ - Rxe8

22. Rb1 - b5

23. cxb5 - Qb6+

24. Kf1 - cxb5

25. Bb2 - Bxa2

26. Bd4 - Nac5

27. Rc1 - Bb3

28. Qe1 - Be6

29. Qf2 - Rc8

30. Be3 - Rc7

31. Nd4 - Bf7

32. Nc6 - Rxc6

33. Bxc6 - Qxc6

34. Bxc5 - h6

35. Ke1 - b4

36. Qd4 - Ne5

37. Kd2 - Qg2

38. Qf2 - Qd5

39. Qd4 - Qg2

40. Qf2 - Qd5

41. Qd4 - Qa2+

42. Rc2 - Qe6

43. Qd8+ - Kh7

44. Qxa5 - b3

45. Rc1 - Qd5

46. Qb4 - Qg2

47. Qe4+ - Qxe4

48. dxe4 - b2

49. Rb1 - Ba2

50. Rxb2 - Nc4+

51. Kc3 - Nxb2

Game 8 is the fifth consecutive draw between the two players, leaving the two level on points.

Ding Liren Reflects: "Last World Championship Had Many Ups and Downs"

In the post-game press conference, Ding admitted, "I didn’t realize I was winning in today’s game." The reigning champion added, "Just felt uncomfortable from his opening. Not nervous."

That's all from Game 8. We will see you all again with another live coverage. Until then, good night.