The Rook Trade That Lost a Title

The game, move by move

The last game, all level

1. 1. Nf3 The knight first
2. 1… d5 d5
3. 2. g3 g3, for the bishop
4. 2… c5 c5
5. 3. Bg2 The bishop to g2
6. 3… Nc6 Nc6
7. 4. d4 d4 — the centre at last
8. 4… e6 e6
9. 5. O-O White castles
10. 5… cxd4 Taken
11. 6. Nxd4 The knight recaptures
12. 6… Nge7 The other knight to e7
13. 7. c4 c4, at d5
14. 7… Nxd4 The knight takes on d4
15. 8. Qxd4 The queen recaptures
16. 8… Nc6 Nc6, at the queen
17. 9. Qd1 The queen back to d1
18. 9… d4 d4 — the pawn goes past Gukesh pushes it by instead of defending it, and leaves White to decide whether taking it is worth the time. The whole middlegame comes out of this square.
19. 10. e3 e3, at the pawn
20. 10… Bc5 The bishop to c5, holding it
21. 11. exd4 Taken
22. 11… Bxd4 And the bishop takes back
23. 12. Nc3 The last knight out
24. 12… O-O Black castles

Down to rook and bishop

1. 13. Nb5 The knight to b5, at the bishop
2. 13… Bb6 The bishop steps back
3. 14. b3 b3
4. 14… a6 a6, sending the knight home
5. 15. Nc3 Back to c3
6. 15… Bd4 And the bishop returns to d4
7. 16. Bb2 The bishop to b2, facing it
8. 16… e5 e5, propping the bishop up
9. 17. Qd2 The queen to d2
10. 17… Be6 Be6
11. 18. Nd5 The knight to d5
12. 18… b5 b5 — the queenside opens
13. 19. cxb5 Taken
14. 19… axb5 Recaptured, and the a-file is open
15. 20. Nf4 The knight to f4, where it can be taken It is meant to be taken. Ding has seen that Bxc6 comes next with a hit on the rook, and the piece comes straight back.
16. 20… exf4 Taken
17. 21. Bxc6 And the bishop takes the knight back
18. 21… Bxb2 The bishop takes on b2
19. 22. Qxb2 The queen recaptures
20. 22… Rb8 The rook to b8
21. 23. Rfd1 The rook to d1
22. 23… Qb6 The queen to b6
23. 24. Bf3 The bishop back to f3
24. 24… fxg3 The pawn takes on g3
25. 25. hxg3 Recaptured, and the h-file opens
26. 25… b4 b4
27. 26. a4 a4, straight past it
28. 26… bxa3 Taken in passing The pawn on b4 takes the pawn that has just gone by it and lands on a3 — en passant, the one capture that ends on a square the captured pawn was never standing on.
29. 27. Rxa3 The rook takes it back
30. 27… g6 g6, making room for the king
31. 28. Qd4 The queen to d4
32. 28… Qb5 The queen to b5
33. 29. b4 b4, offering the pawn
34. 29… Qxb4 Taken
35. 30. Qxb4 And the queens come off
36. 30… Rxb4 The rook recaptures
37. 31. Ra8 The rook to a8, offering the trade
38. 31… Rxa8 Taken
39. 32. Bxa8 And the bishop takes back Nothing is left but a rook and a bishop each, three black pawns to two white ones. The last twenty-six moves of a world championship are played from here.

Pushing at a draw

1. 32… g5 g5
2. 33. Bd5 The bishop to d5
3. 33… Bf5 Bf5
4. 34. Rc1 The rook to c1
5. 34… Kg7 The king walks up
6. 35. Rc7 The rook to the seventh
7. 35… Bg6 Bg6
8. 36. Rc4 The rook back to c4
9. 36… Rb1+ Rb1, with check
10. 37. Kg2 Kg2
11. 37… Re1 The rook to e1, behind the lines
12. 38. Rb4 Rb4
13. 38… h5 h5 — the pawns start forward
14. 39. Ra4 Ra4
15. 39… Re5 The rook to e5
16. 40. Bf3 The bishop to f3, and the time control is made Forty moves in two hours, and another half hour each from here. Ding reached it with eight minutes on his clock; Gukesh reached it with forty-two.
17. 40… Kh6 The king to h6
18. 41. Kg1 Kg1
19. 41… Re6 Re6
20. 42. Rc4 Rc4
21. 42… g4 g4, fixing White’s pawns
22. 43. Bd5 Bd5
23. 43… Rd6 Rd6, at the bishop
24. 44. Bb7 The bishop to b7
25. 44… Kg5 The king to g5 — right into it
26. 45. f3 f3, breaking the pawns up
27. 45… f5 f5, holding the chain
28. 46. fxg4 Taken
29. 46… hxg4 Recaptured — and that pawn sits on g4 to the end
30. 47. Rb4 Rb4
31. 47… Bf7 Bf7
32. 48. Kf2 Kf2
33. 48… Rd2+ The rook to the second, with check
34. 49. Kg1 Back to g1
35. 49… Kf6 Kf6
36. 50. Rb6+ Rb6, with check
37. 50… Kg5 Kg5
38. 51. Rb4 Rb4
39. 51… Be6 Be6
40. 52. Ra4 Ra4
41. 52… Rb2 The rook to b2
42. 53. Ba8 The bishop to the corner
43. 53… Kf6 Kf6
44. 54. Rf4 The rook to f4
45. 54… Ke5 The king to e5 Twenty-two moves of pressing at a position that holds. Gukesh centralises the king and leaves White one careless move to find.

The rook offered on f2

1. 55. Rf2 Rf2 — the rook offered Ding offers the rook trade, and it loses the game and the title on the spot. Ra4 keeps the rooks on and it is a draw. Everything after this is forced.
2. 55… Rxf2 Taken
3. 56. Kxf2 The king recaptures
4. 56… Bd5 The bishop offered in turn And this trade is forced too: the bishop on a8 has only b7 and c6 to go to and Bd5 covers them both. What is behind it is kings and pawns.
5. 57. Bxd5 Taken
6. 57… Kxd5 And the king takes back — kings and pawns
7. 58. Ke3 Ke3, the only try
8. 58… Ke5 Ke5 — and Ding resigned Two pawns against one, and the move where it counts: White has to give way, the pawn on g3 falls, and a black pawn queens. The tablebases have this position as a loss in fifty. Gukesh was eighteen, and world champion.