World Chess Championship: Of being in the zone, maintaining a poker face and not believing in numerology | Chess News

There was a viral clip a few months back involving Viswanathan Anand and Gukesh. It’s barely a 15-second-long clip, but it reveals the amount of respect that Gukesh has for Anand, who has mentored the 18-year-old.
The clip shows Gukesh, and then Praggnanandhaa, instinctively jumping to their feet as soon as Anand stands up to speak on stage much to the joy of the audience. Anand then proceeds to compliment Gukesh and his generation of prodigies for being “very well brought up”.
On Friday, Anand and Xie Jun, the first Chinese Women’s World Champion, were fittingly given the honour of making the ceremonial first moves on the board before Game 4 of the World Championship at Singapore. While Xie Jun was to make a move for Ding, Anand would make a move for Gukesh. As both legends were introduced, Ding Liren broke into applause for both names. The 18-year-old boy sitting opposite Ding, who jumps to his feet each time Anand stands up, had a completely different reaction. Let alone applaud, Gukesh never broke eye contact with the board, a measure of how deeply in the zone the 18-year-old can get when it’s time to play.
Another Ding second reveals himself
The world knows that Ding is being aided Hungarian grandmaster Richard Rapport against Gukesh at the world championship. But at the pre-event press conference, Ding had said that he had come to Singapore with a few seconds who would be spotted. On Friday, another of Ding’s second — an assant who helps a player devise strategy for opening stages — made an appearance at the playing hall. Ni Hua, who has been the captain of the Chinese chess team, is one of the seconds the world champion has enled to help him out with openings.
This again breaks from tradition of world championship contenders keeping the identity of seconds close to their chests. Ding’s predecessor Magnus Carlsen was known to keep his seconds stationed at different countries around the world — rather than risk them being in the same country as him — so that he could have access to at least one of them at any hour of the day in a world championship contest.
Fischer or Kasparov?
At the post-match press conference, Gukesh is asked if he believes in numerology like Garry Kasparov, who is said to have said that since he was born on the 13th of April, it was fitting he became the 13th world champion. The 18-year-old Gukesh is, after all, looking to become the 18th world champion.
“I guess I should say I believe more in what Bob Fischer had said (I believe in good moves). So I am just trying to make good moves,” smiles Gukesh.
Poker face problems
At the press conference, both Ding and Gukesh are also asked if they practise keeping a poker face, especially when an opponent makes a blunder.
“SInce I am unable to see my reactions during a game, I don’t know if I am able to keep a poker face,” smiles Ding. “If my opponent makes some make, I think I will show some expressions.”

“In general I think I’m not a very expressive player. On the board I do show some emotion from time to time. But in general I’m more of a person who always maintains a poker face. I don’t really think too much about it,” he says while maintaining a poker face.