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The story of the World Championship 2024 through pictures: Day 1

by Rasika Ratnaparkhi - 25/11/2024

This World Championship is probably the most anticipated in chess history. Gukesh’s historic Candidates win and Ding’s nine-month break from chess left fans speculating about the outcome. Both players have reasons to feel the pressure. For Ding, it’s about defending the title once again while for Gukesh, it’s about fighting for the crown. The entire chess world had only one burning question – Can Ding hold or will Gukesh dominate? Let’s try to find out what happened on the Day 1 of the World Championship... through pictures. Photo: Maria Emelianova

The opening

This is the first time that two Asians are battling for the title | Photo: Aditya Sur Roy

The entire world had only one question...| Photo:  Eng Chin An

Will Ding make a comeback? | Photo: Maria Emelianova

Or will Gukesh take over? | Photo: Eng Chin An

The world held its breath as the two entered the arena! | Photo: Eng Chin An

The pressure of not winning a single classical game for almost a year... | Photo: Eng Chin An

vs the pressure of fighting for the crown for the first time | Photo: Maria Emelianova

The first move was made by Demis Hassabis, CEO of DeepMind Technologies | Aditya Sur Roy

The game intensified as Ding spent nearly half an hour on the seventh move... | Photo: Eng Chin An

... but he came up with a move that crumbled Gukesh's middlegame | Photo: Eng Chin An

This is what fans wanted... | Photo: Eng Chin An

... an intense game that will keep them hooked! | Photo: Eng Chin An

And the decisive moment came... | Photo: Maria Emelianova

... when Gukesh resigned! | Photo: Maria Emelianova

This was the Ding everyone waited for! | Photo: Eng Chin An

It was the game that hinted... this is going to be a hard-fought battle! | Photo: Eng Chin An

So many people were ready with their questions except the two sitting quietly with their hearts full of pride | Photo: Eng Chin An

Ding's mother | Photo: Maria Emelianova

Ding's father | Photo: Maria Emelianova

With this, all eyes are on Round 2! | Photo: Eng Chin An

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