Champion Ding and challenger Gukesh prepare for world title battle
The Chinese and Indian grandmasters will compete over 14 games in Singapore for a $2.6m prize fund, with Gukesh 1-5 favourite to win China’s world champion Ding Liren, 32, and his Indian rival Gukesh Dommaraju, at 18 the youngest ever title challenger, meet for the opening ceremony of their $2.6m 14-game title match in Singapore on Saturday, with the first game scheduled to start at 9am GMT (17.00 local time) on Monday.This will be the 50th contest for the crown since 1886, and the first where both contestants are Asian. The No1 player of the time was almost always a participant, but not in 2023 or 2024. Currently Gukesh is No5 in the rankings, while Ding languishes at No23. The world champion has not won a single classical game since January. Gukesh is the 1-5 odds on favourite, while Ding is 10-3 against. Continue reading…
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