Ding, world chess champion, and teen challenger Gukesh are tied at the halfway mark | Sports Update

In the eighth match of the World Chess Championship in Singapore, defending champion Ding Liren and teenage challenger Gukesh Dommaraju played to yet another draw, maintaining their deadlock at four points each after eight games. Gukesh, despite initially giving up a strong position with inaccurate moves during the middle game, rejected Ding’s offer of a draw and attempted to push for a result during the endgame. However, Ding managed to fend off his attacks, leading to another draw after 51 moves. Both players acknowledged their missed opportunities during the game, with Gukesh admitting to a misjudgement of his position and Ding regretting his inability to press home his advantage. The ninth game of the series is set to take place at Resorts World Sentosa on Thursday, with the first player to reach 7.5 points declared as the winner. If the players are tied on seven points after 14 games, tiebreaks will be held. Gukesh, the youngest player in history to compete in the World Championship, is aiming to surpass Garry Kasparov as the youngest undisputed world chess champion. The tension continues to build as both players strive to gain the upper hand and emerge victorious in this historic tournament.

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