by Shawn Goretsky (7th)

World Chess Championships

Introduction:
For all of you chess fans out there, you probably know that the World Chess Championship is happening right now, and this is history in the making. In this article, I’m going to tell you why this championship is groundbreaking and what some chess masters have to say about it.

Why Is This Championship Important?
You might be wondering, why is this championship so important? There are a few key reasons. First, both players—Ding Liren from China and Gukesh Dommaraju from India—represent countries that have each only had one World Chess Champion in the past. The first Chinese World Champion is Ding Liren, who is defending his title in this match. On the other hand, Gukesh is not the first Indian World Champion; that title belongs to Vishy Anand. However, if Gukesh wins, he will become the second Indian World Champion. If Ding wins, it will be the second time a player from China defends the title. Either way, it's a big moment in chess history.

Another reason this championship is important is that Gukesh is only 18 years old. He is the youngest player ever to win the Candidates Tournament and challenge for the World Chess Championship title. Although he’s the underdog, if he wins, he will become the youngest person to ever hold the title of World Chess Champion. That would be truly incredible.

How Is the Match Going?
You may be wondering, who is winning? How many games have been played? When will this tournament end? Let me give you the latest updates. As of now, the score is tied at 3-3. In this format, a draw earns 0.5 points, and a win earns 1 point. The match is currently in Game 6, with four draws and one win for each player. Please note that I’m writing this on December 2nd, so the scores may have changed since then. Be sure to check the final score at the bottom of this article when it is published.

The championship is a series of 14 games, unless one player reaches 7 points or more before that. If the match is tied after 14 games, a tiebreaker will occur.

Chess Masters' Thoughts
Now, let’s take a look at what some top chess masters have to say about this World Chess Championship.

• Magnus Carlsen, widely regarded as the greatest chess player of all time, said we might see a "bloodbath" in this match.
• GM Fabiano Caruana, the 4th highest-rated player in the world, predicted that Ding Liren would win this championship in a landslide.
• Grandmaster, YouTuber, and streamer Hikaru Nakamura stated that if Ding Liren wins, it could set chess back 2 to 4 years.
• Arjun Erigaisi, the second-highest-rated player in the world, said, "I think it will be a massacre—Gukesh will crush him, I think."
• U.S. Grandmasters Wesley So and Leinier Dominguez Perez have different predictions. So thinks Ding Liren will win, while Dominguez believes Gukesh will take the title.
• Grandmaster Wei Yi, a teammate of Ding Liren in the national team, said, “As a friend, of course, I think it might be better if Ding Liren wins. But as a chess fan, I think Gukesh has the better chance.”

The first Indian World Champion, Vishy Anand, offered some insightful advice. He said, “It’s clear that Ding is suffering a bit, but there’s always light at the end of the tunnel. He has to keep fighting and working, because you never know when he’ll come out of this struggle he’s in.”

Conclusion
To sum it up, the World Chess Championship is a historic and exciting event. It’s a close race between Ding and Gukesh, and it will be a nail-biter to see who comes out on top. We’ll have to wait and see how it all unfolds. As of December 4th, the score is tied at 4-4.