Today in Singapore, the first game of the 2024 FIDE World Championship match between China's Ding Liren and India's Dommaraju Gukesh will take place.
Norwegian chess legend and five-time world champion Magnus Carlsen, who remains the highest-rated player in history, has suggested that if Gukesh lands the first blow, he has a strong chance of winning the match.
Idman.biz delves into the history of championship openers, analyzing how early victories have influenced the ultimate outcomes of title matches.
This event marks the 60th official championship match since the inception of FIDE's unified system. Historical milestones include Soviet grandmaster Anatoly Karpov being awarded the title by default in 1975 after American Bobby Fischer refused to compete.
Although unofficial matches date back to 1834, the modern era began in 1886, when Wilhelm Steinitz defeated Johannes Zukertort in the first official championship match. Since then, 21 players have claimed the world champion title, with most matches held in a head-to-head format.
• Out of 31 matches where the first game produced a winner, 24 times the victor went on to become champion.
• Wilhelm Steinitz claimed the first-ever title after winning the opening game but had to overcome four consecutive losses to secure his victory.
• Emanuel Lasker, the second world champion, won all five matches in which he claimed the first game. Similarly, Anatoly Karpov won all four of his matches that started with victories.
• Magnus Carlsen's 2018 title defense against Fabiano Caruana remains unique, as all classical games ended in draws before Carlsen triumphed in the rapid tiebreaks.
As Ding Liren and Gukesh prepare for their opening clash, the chess world waits to see how history will unfold in this historic encounter.
Vugar Mammadov
Idman.biz
