In the blink of an eye
Indian crown arrived at the playing venue
Even though Gukesh could manage to stay calm, his fans could not, as they were overflowing with excitement! | Photo: Maria Emelianova
Ding was also composed and focused, ready to face the storm in Game 11. | Photo: Maria Emelianova
The first move for Gukesh was made by Asia's first grandmaster Eugenio Torre | Photo: Eng Chin An
And former Women's World Champion Hou Yifan made the first move for Ding Liren | Photo: Eng Chin An
After a series of draws, fans wanted some spark on the scoreboard. | Photo: Eng Chin An
Gukesh's opening scrambled Ding out of his preparation. | Photo: Eng Chin An
... as Ding spent 38 minutes on his fifth move: Nf3 | Photo: Eng Chin An
'All this for nothing!' Gukesh's immediate response of a3 made Ding realize his 38-minute analysis had been spent on what he later called ‘nonsense variations'. | Photo: Eng Chin An
Gukesh mirrored extra long think as he spent an hour on the ninth move, but he found the best move g3! | Photo: Maria Emelianova
In his own words, "It was just horrible! I don't know what to do. I was just kicking myself" | Photo: Maria Emelianova
They both were misled by their own calculations | Photo: Maria Emelianova
Regained Confidence - Gukesh took a short break to clear his mind, telling himself: "I have already spoiled the advantage. Now let me just make one move at a time and not make any more mistakes." | Photo: Eng Chin An
Gukesh was in full main-character mode! | Photo: Eng Chin An
The position was equal for both the players.. unlike the time! With only 7.41 minutes left on the clock and 12 moves for an extra 30 minutes... | Photo: Eng Chin An
... Ding made a blunder... Qc8... that cost him the game! | Photo: Eng Chin An
In a blink of an eye, the game turned around! | Photo: Eng Chin An
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The challenger is now leading by one point for the first time in the match! | Photo: Eng Chin An
All eyes are on Ding and his team to see how they will fight back. | Photo: Maria Emelianova
"Indian fans are the best!" - Gukesh
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