World Championship, Game 5

A draw in the Exchange French? Inconceivable!

Making fun of the Exchange French is low-hanging fruit, I know. Nevertheless, despite Gukesh Dommaraju’s impressive attempts to inject some vitality in the line, Ding Liren’s play was excellent. For the third straight white game, Gukesh found an excuse/opportunity to play g4, and for the third straight time, Ding outplayed him and achieved the advantage - in this case after Gukesh’s careless 23.dxe5.

Getting the advantage is one thing, keeping it, growing it, and turning it into a win is another matter entirely. Ding managed the feat in game 1, but lost in game 3 and in this game soon squandered his plus and allowed Gukesh to make a draw. An in-form Ding might be leading the match by two points; as it is, it’s anyone’s contest and remains tied at 2.5 points apiece.

So far, the players aren’t achieving much with White. Will Ding have something special prepared in game 6? We’ll know in a few hours. In the meantime, here’s game five, with my notes.