Teenage challenger Gokesh Dumaraju defeated China’s Ding Liren in the 11th game of their World Championship match, taking a commanding lead as the tournament entered the final.
Gokesh, whose win gave him a 6-5 lead with just three games to play, forced the defending champion to retire from the ding after making an error under time pressure in Sunday’s contest.
The victory ended a seven-match draw and gave 18-year-old Gokesh a huge psychological advantage in the home stretch of the 14-match series.
“Obviously, this is a very important win,” said Gokesh, who was playing with white pieces.
But he was also cautious, adding that “there are still three more very important games to go.”
Ding, 32, admitted it was a “very difficult game” for him, but added that he will try to bounce back on Monday when he takes the first step with the white.
Both players were cautious from the start, making only five moves in the first hour of play. The Indian expert spent an hour in contemplation before making the 11th move.
The players went into a time-pressured game after nearly four hours, especially Ding, who had just under 10 minutes left in his allotted time.
When the Chinese player resigned, Gokesh’s supporters gathered in the public area at Singapore’s Resorts World Sentosa hotel and chanted his name to thunderous applause.
“Indian fans are the best. I’m really grateful for all the support… all these things give me the extra energy I need.”
If both players are tied in 14 matches, the match will go to a tie breaker which will be played on December 13.
At his age, Gokesh is the youngest player in history to compete in a world championship and is looking to overtake Garry Kasparov as the youngest undisputed world chess champion.