This was the biggest mistake in the history of chess

It happened in the move 55when Ding offered a rook exchange that was inevitably followed by a bishop exchange that led to a completely won pawn ending for Gukesh.

The duel in Singapore He was indecisive until the end, but the 32-year-old Ding’s mistakes ended up costing him the title he won for the first time in April 2023. Since that crown he had played much less and seemed to lose quality in his game.

“When I realized his mistake, it was the best moment of my life,” Gukesh said at a press conference. With black pieces The Indian put pressure on a balanced game and especially took advantage of Ding’s lack of time to reflect, who was playing at a slower pace.

At the time of his mistake, Ding only had 10 minutes left on the clock, an hour less than Gukesh. «My strategy in the game was to press as much as possible»explained the new world champion.

Gukesh has not missed the opportunity to continue his extraordinary rise. His designation as a rival thanks to his victory during the Candidates Tournament in April 2024 was already surprising, but it continued to gain weight with a great performance at the Chess Olympiad in September, won by India.

It is the fifth player in the world ranking and the youngest among the first 50, becoming the second Indian to obtain this title, after Viswanathan Anandchampion between 2007 and 2013.

Despite his fatal and decisive final error, Ding appreciated “having played (his) best tournament of the year. It could have been better but now I was lucky to survive Wednesday.», during the 13th game, which he was close to losing.

“I have nothing to regret” he concluded. And he promised that he will continue playing chess.