Ding Liren wins the first game in the World Chess Championship match, the French defense is back in favor!
It's not really a surprise. Despite Ding Liren's recent form not being his best, he remains a highly experienced player and is, after all, the reigning World Champion. It's unclear if Ding Liren's play in the first game caught Dommaraju Gukesh off guard, but it seemed that the Indian grandmaster was more prepared for the e5 move after 1.e4. Nevertheless, Ding Liren emerged from the opening in a strong position, and after the daring 21.f5 move, he secured an advantage that he maintained until the end of the game. It was a game worth studying; take a look for yourself.