He was a last-minute entry to the Candidates, but despite that, he played very consistently, he won, and it was generally felt that Gukesh was going to be a great challenge for Ding.
It was a challenge in the sense that after winning the World Championship in 2023, Ding had not played at all, and Gukesh kept on playing well even after the Candidates. He played a lot of tournaments; he got a gold medal in the Olympiad on the top board, once again ahead of Carlsen. And that's why, before the match, it looked like it was going to be a very smooth one-sided victory for the challenger.
But the match wasn't to be that way. It was a far cry from a smooth match like Challenger Fisher beating Spassky. Or the Champion winning the World Champion match, Carlson versus Ian Nepomniachtchi was one-sided. This match wasn't that match at all. It was a very tense and tough match; both the players were not at their best.
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