Ding, Dommaraju was tied after six games in the World Chess Championship | Sports News

Young challenger Gukesh Dommaraju from India holds the lead over Ding Liren after the first week of the competition.

The 2024 World Chess Championship is well underway after defending champion Ding Liren and youngster Gukesh Dommaraju played out a thrilling 46-game draw in Singapore.

The points are tied at three points for each team after six games, ending the first week of the 14-game series.

Monday will be a rest day, and play continues on Tuesday.

Ding, the Chinese grandmother, started strongly on Sunday, putting her 18-year-old Indian challenger on the defensive.

But Dommaraju recovered to send the game to a dramatic finish with pawns all over the board.

Triple-doubles after 46 for both players ended the match in a draw after more than four hours.

The Indian player turned down the opportunity to end the game in a tie despite his worst form on the board and almost paid the price.

“I just thought there was a lot of game left in the area, and I didn't see a big danger for me,” Dommaraju told the media after the game.

“I wanted to play a longer game than finish at that time.”

Ding, 32, who played with white pieces, admitted that he had let his profits slip at critical moments.

“That's what I have to improve on in the next few games,” he said after the game.

Ding defeated Dommaraju in the first game on Monday before their second game ended in a draw. Dommaraju won again by winning the third game on Wednesday followed by a draw in the fourth and fifth.

There are 14 game days, and the first player to score 7.5 points is declared the winner. It will start as a draw if the players are tied on seven points after 14 games.

Dommaraju is the youngest player in history to compete in the World Chess Championship, and is looking to surpass Garry Kasparov as the youngest world chess champion.

He said on Sunday that he was happy to lose again in his first match but added that there is still a long way to go.

“We're not even halfway through the event yet,” he said.