Gukesh: ‘My desire to win is stronger than the fear of losing… I am a bit of a risk taker’
India’s D Gukesh at the closing ceremony of the FIDE World Chess Championship 2024 in Singapore. (FIDE/Eng Chin An via PTI Photo)
In Singapore, he pressed several times to continue the game despite being in a bad position on the board. Twice he refused draw offers from the opposition despite being in a bad position on the board. Asked about his appetite for risk taking in matches, Gukesh said: “My desire to win is stronger than my fear of losing. Maybe because of my young age. I am a more ambitious player. From the early few games, it was clear that Ding was not taking the chances he was given. So I had a little more freedom to push my luck. He did a great job of defending. I’m a bit of a risk taker.”
Gukesh said in the second game he began to feel that Ding was playing cautiously “when he made me too comfortable”.
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