Tue Dec 10 14:30:43 UTC 2024: ## Carlsen Criticizes World Chess Championship Quality: Ding Liren Favored to Win
**Astana, Kazakhstan** – Five-time World Chess Champion Magnus Carlsen has issued a scathing critique of the World Chess Championship match between China’s Ding Liren and India’s D Gukesh, calling the gameplay subpar for a contest of this magnitude. Following Ding’s victory in Game 12, which leveled the score at 6-6 with two games remaining, Carlsen stated on the Take Take Take app podcast that the match lacks the quality expected of world championship contenders.
Carlsen specifically criticized Gukesh’s opening in Game 12, arguing that it handed Ding a significant advantage. He asserted that Ding hasn’t needed complex calculations, winning through positional understanding alone. Carlsen believes Gukesh missed an opportunity to pressure Ding while ahead, leading to an easier win for his opponent. “You have to make it difficult for your opponent,” Carlsen emphasized. “If you play the way Gukesh played, it’s very easy for the opponent to play near perfectly and win.”
Both Carlsen and American Grandmaster Hikaru Nakamura now favor Ding Liren to win the championship, despite the psychological pressure on both players. Nakamura points out that Ding’s chances improve with the shorter time formats likely in the tiebreak, giving him a clear advantage heading into the final two classical games.
First Piper 