It was easily the most disappointing draw of the match as very little happened in Game 10. The match is tied 5-5 with four classical games left
What we have after seven draws on the trot is a match that’s down to just four classical games with the possibility of a tie-break looming.
Easily the top contender for the most disappointing draw of the match, Game 10 had little happening over the board. The life had gone out of the position long before a three-fold repetition was agreed upon by Ding Liren and Gukesh after 36 moves. The match is poised at 5-5 and there’s no telling where it goes from here.
If the scores remain tied at the end of Game 14, the match will head into a tie-break – four rapid games of 15 minutes each with a 10-second increment per move. Should the scores still remain even, the match will be decided in a blitz playoff.
The theory of Ding wanting to steer the match into tie-breaks appears more plausible with every draw that he seems eager to make. The match is now down to just four classical games. Gukesh will have the White pieces in two of the remaining games. Looking at how the match has played out so far, it’s unlikely that Ding will want anything but quiet draws in any of his White games. It will rest on Gukesh to create imbalances, take risks and try to go for a win with White. It could very well happen in Game 11 on Sunday, or Game 13 on Tuesday, when Gukesh will have the White pieces.
“The cost of one game is higher than it was maybe at the start or a few games before,” Gukesh said when asked if he thought the cost of every move and game is higher at this point since the match is nearing its end. “My approach is still the same – to play good games. If you think about it, it’s not that different because even though the cost of losing the first game, for example, is not that high, I still would not want to lose that game.”