While India is celebrating Gukesh Dommaraju’s historic World Chess Championship victory, an expert has accused his opponent Ding Liren of losing deliberately in the tournament finale.
According to Russian Chess Federation chief Andrei Filatov, the Chinese Grandmaster lost on purpose at the Chess Championship held in Singapore.
The President of the Chess Federation of Russia🇷🇺, FIDE honorary member Andrei Filatov, accuses Ding Liren🇨🇳 of losing on purpose, and asks @FIDE_chess to start an investigation:@FIDE_chess @tassagency_en https://t.co/mPpSjwj2xK pic.twitter.com/SANqHdhVEI
— Peter Heine Nielsen (@PHChess) December 12, 2024
Filatov said that Liren made a ‘suspicious’ mistake in the 14th game against Gukesh, which the latter capitalised on to become the youngest ever World Chess Champion. Gukesh scored 7.5 points while Liren scored 6.5.
“The result of the last game caused bewilderment among professionals and chess fans. The actions of the Chinese chess player in the decisive segment are extremely suspicious and require a separate investigation by FIDE,” Filatov said per Russian news agency TASS.
“Losing the position in which Ding Liren was is difficult even for a first-class player. The defeat of the Chinese chess player in today’s game raises a lot of questions and looks like a deliberate one,” he further said.
He entered as the Challenger; he exited as the WORLD CHAMPION! @DGukesh 🇮🇳 👏 ♟️
🔥 Gukesh D leaves the venue right after becoming World Champion! A big hug with his dad, Dr. Rajinikanth, a big hug with his second, Grzegorz Gajewski, and off to the bus for the final press… pic.twitter.com/94UVZRgulK
— International Chess Federation (@FIDE_chess) December 12, 2024
🇮🇳 Gukesh D defeats 🇨🇳 Ding Liren in Game 14 of the FIDE World Championship Match, presented by Google and becomes the new World Champion. #DingGukesh pic.twitter.com/GgeV9UkVor
— International Chess Federation (@FIDE_chess) December 12, 2024
“I was totally in shock when I realised I made a blunder,” Liren said during the post game press conference. He went on to say that “I think I played my best tournament of the year.” Liren also said that he has no regrets.
Notably, Gukesh is the second Indian to win the championship after Vishawanathan Anand. The latter is said to have played a major role in shaping Gukesh as a world class chess player at his Chennai academy.
Gukesh reportedly won Rs 11 crore in prize money after winning the tournament. The video featuring the final moments of the game in which he clinched victory is going viral.
ALSO SEE: ‘Thank You Amma’: Gukesh D Cries Profusely On Call With Mother After Chess Championship Win
ALSO SEE: Watch: Moment Gukesh D’s Father Realised His Son Is Youngest World Chess Champion
(Image: X/@FIDE_Chess)
