D Gukesh is being touted as favourite against reigning champion Ding Liren in the 14-game World Championship match which starts in Singapore on Monday. The Indian challenger is world No. 5 at Elo 2783 and Ding is No. 23 with Elo rating of 2728. The former is currently playing at his peak while the latter’s best rating was Elo 2816 six years ago.
It must be remembered though, that while tournaments of a similar calibre can offer a player a mental cushion of half a point or one a round-robin format, the nature of head-to-head battle over 14 classical games doesn’t offer any incidental advantage. This missing ‘mental cushion’ must be top-most on the minds of the challenger and the defending champion.
