Gukesh meditates in the middle of a World Chess Championship game against world champion Ding Liren. (PHOTO: FIDE via Maria Emelianova)
We’re a few hours away from the start of the 13th installment of the Gukesh vs Ding Liren fight for the world chess champion’s crown.
After 12 games, both players have won two games each, with the remaining eight games ending up in draws. This leaves the fate of the 2024 World Chess Championship in the hands of the remaining two games.
But what happens if the two classical games cannot decide the world champion?
In case both players are tied on points after 14 games, the fate of who gets to call himself the world champion for at least one more year will be decided in games played in faster time controls.
There is a pattern laid out by FIDE and the organisers for the 2024 World Chess Championship for the tiebreaks (games that are played in faster time controls).
What is the tiebreak system at the World Chess Championship?
The first phase of the tiebreaks will see Gukesh and Ding Liren face off in a four-game playoff. In this playoff, each player has just 15 minutes on the clock and will earn an increment of 10 seconds for every move.
Just to contrast this with the current time controls that Gukesh and Ding are playing under, both players have 120 minutes each to make the first 40 moves. Once they make their 40th move, they get 30 additional minutes for the rest of the game and increments of 30 additional seconds for every move from move number 41. So far, this has led to at least one game stretching over five hours.
But if this phase of the tiebreaks played across four games does not yield a winner, the time controls at the World Chess Championship get quicker and quicker.
Both players will be needed to play a two-game playoff with both players having just 10 minutes on the clock at the start. Gukesh and Ding will earn an increment of five seconds for each move.
If this still doesn’t throw up a champion, the regulations stipulate that the games will get even quicker. There will be a two-game playoff with a time control of three minutes per player (with two-second increments per move).
How much money will players earn if the World Chess Championship is decided in tiebreaks?
Each player receives $200,000 for each game won at the World Chess Championship. The remaining balance of the prize fund shall be split equally between the players. This means both players have already pocketed almost Rs 3.4 crore for their two wins.
But if the winner of the World Chess Championship is decided on tie-break, the prize money shall be divided as follows: the winner receives $13,00,000 (almost Rs 11 crore), the runner-up receives 12,00,000 (almost Rs 10 crore).
I’m Manas Ranjan Sahoo: Founder of “Webtirety Software”. I’m a Full-time Software Professional and an aspiring entrepreneur, dedicated to growing this platform as large as possible. I love to Write Blogs on Software, Mobile applications, Web Technology, eCommerce, SEO, and about My experience with Life.
