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Chess - The 2024 World Championship (Game 1 Review)

Chess - The 2024 World Championship (Game 1 Review)

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Jack8237
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The 2024 FIDE World Championship embarks its way with liftoff as we have reigning World Champion GM Ding Liren defend his title for the first time, up against challenger GM Gukesh D, bringing with him the possibility of becoming the 2nd world Champion from India and for the first time, a chance at contention anyone has ever had at age 18!

Ahead of this game, 

Ding Liren has been renowned by his peak level performance in 2018, beginning his 100 game streak in Classical Chess and his wins at the Sinquefield Tournaments. Though, of late, people have noted that his track record since his achievement of World Champion has not been quite as enthusiastic. 

Gukesh D's track record of late, including securing Gold at the Sinquefield Tournament in Budapest has him as an emerging favorite for a lot of fans for this year's Championship, something Ding has acknowledged in interviews. Learning about both players recently had me briefly speculate who could emerge victorious. In my previous post, I discussed that when it comes down to supposedly out of form Ding Vs the building momentum of challenger Gukesh, once the candidates and team tournaments are out of the way, it's more about the playing dynamics and game history between both players.

Ding possessing the Black pieces for Game 1 only went Ding Ding, ringing a bell back to his previous wins as Black against Gukesh in Classical Chess.

I see where fans counted on Gukesh to potentially win Game 1 of this Championship. Losing a game earlier to Ding in January was one thing, while the recent draw a few months earlier, forced by Ding as White against Gukesh, can in some ways, imply a changing of the favorable squared bishop. 

Gukesh is essentially Fischer to Ding's Spassky, in that Fischer's streak was built over the course of 1972's championship. 2024's shall be one for comeback by Ding or breakthrough by Gukesh over the incremental test of time.

The notation I discuss below belongs solely to game 1 of the 2024 World Championship that recently concluded.

I had a hunch that Ding with more experience could pull off much of what he already had. 
The analyzer early on had Gukesh at 97.5 accuracy and Ding at 97.2. The whole point among the greats, however, is to deceive what even accuracy cannot always foretell.
It was in these 2 key moments that Ding won me over.
1. Marching his rook forward very much like his earlier encounter with Gukesh in January, except that earned him the win first thing. Seeing that revisited here channels its course of continuity.

2. Look up Ding's best games as Black on YouTube if you will. Those talk about all the momentum Ding has going with Qh1+. I'd post about those if I had the time, other than finding time to share my review of each World Championship game. 
Ding revisited two of his key principles that make him what he truly is, and that made all the additive difference.

Ding now wields the lightweight luxury of drawing every following game to becoming 2 time World Champion. I smell the Fischer-Spassky essence brewing, and Gukesh still has time for a skillful showcase.
As Game 1 stands now,
Can Ding defend his championship? Absolutely.
Can Gukesh surprise with a Fischer element of streak-building? Also absolutely.