2024 World Championship (25 November to 13 December)

[Christopher Kreuzer]

World Chess Championship 2024 presented by Google - OFFICIAL WEBSITE.

From the 'predictions' thread:

Live coverage at the Guardian.

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/live/ ... -1-updates

Seems to be in association with lichess.

The Agon/World Chess nonsense about not being allowed to discuss the game whilst in progress now is relegated to the history books.

There's plenty of commentary options including Jovanka & David Howell on the official FIDE commentary on Twitch & Youtube, Judit Polgar, Daniel Naroditsky & John Sargent on Chess24 Twitch, Hikaru on Kick & LiChess have Laura Unuk & Aleksandar Indic.

Game one looks like Ding will win, which means we have a match on our hands.

[Mick Norris]

Ding has won

I didn't watch all of it, but enjoyed David and Jovanka's commentary

Well done Ding, French Defence as well

[MJMcCready]

Yep. Good day for the French Defence.

[Christopher Kreuzer]

When was the last time the French Defence was played in a WCC match?

[Mick Norris]

I assume Ding played it against Nepo

[Christopher Kreuzer]

The commentators getting it wrong:

The English IM Lawrence Trent doesn’t like what he sees for Ding. “Hate to say it but don’t see how Ding survives today,” he writes. This just isn’t his kind of position at all and he’s already 30 minutes behind on the clock. I’d also wager that 6.Nce2 isn’t in his notes anywhere.”

Reader John Cox sends in a friendly correction for IM Lawrence Trent: Lawrence can’t be right that 6 Nce2 isn’t in the notes - this isn’t some sideline or novelty; it’s White’s second most popular move and most ambitious try in the most popular GM line against Ding’s chosen opening. It’s hard to overstate how astonishing it is that Ding’s apparently on his own already.

[Christopher Kreuzer]

When was the last time the French Defence was played in a WCC match?

Mick is probably right that Ding played it against Nepo.

The stat of the day comes from the mailbag. Longtime reader Sean emails to say that in 138 years of world championship matches, the French Defense (1 e4 e6) has only been played three times in the opening game. And all three of those games ended decisively.

[Nick Ivell]

White's opening looked pretty disastrous, conceding the b2 square.

As one of our local sages says, don't let the knights into your pagoda!

[LawrenceCooper]

White's opening looked pretty disastrous, conceding the b2 square.

The commentators were more critical of Ding in the early stages, especially when he was 50+ minutes down on time. It was only after the Nxd4 recapture that they began to favour his position.

[Nick Ivell]

I didn't listen to the commentary, and it's possible I'm judging the opening from the result. Still, it all looked a bit dodgy.

[MJMcCready]

White's moves of an early Ne2 and g4 gave no real advantage. I thought giving the c4 square away might help black a bit but not as much as it actually did. White never even got an attack going and just had a bit of counterplay in a lost position.

[Mick Norris]

I didn't listen to the commentary, and it's possible I'm judging the opening from the result. Still, it all looked a bit dodgy.

In the press conference, Ding essentially said that Richard Rapport, his second as last time, is the French expert, and they agreed to play it today; that he spent a long time thinking as he was deciding whether to play something they prepared, but decided to make something up (I think he was referring to playing a5); Gukesh said he was in prep until Ding played Qa5

[Mick Norris]

When was the last time the French Defence was played in a WCC match?

Mick is probably right that Ding played it against Nepo.

The stat of the day comes from the mailbag. Longtime reader Sean emails to say that in 138 years of world championship matches, the French Defense (1 e4 e6) has only been played three times in the opening game. And all three of those games ended decisively.

Wiki has from the last match

The seventh game of the match, a 37-move win for Nepomniachtchi, was played on 18 April. In reply to 1.e4, Ding deviated from his usual 1...e5, surprising his opponent and the commentators by opting for the French Defence, an opening last seen in a world championship match in 1978 (played there twice by Viktor Korchnoi; both games ended in a draw)

Ding lost and didn't play it again

[Nick Ivell]

I don't recall the French being played since K v K 1974, and that wasn't technically a championship match.

I recall Karpov trotting out his standard Nd2 and never being able to prove much.

Ah, I now see there has been the occasional outing. Well, it certainly worked today.

[MJMcCready]

White should have a spatial advantage and pushing f5 can often be decisive in the French but today not so. Good day for the French.