Gukesh can now take solace from having out-prepared and outplayed Ding, but we're still waiting for someone to land a clean punch. That nearly came in game 7, courtesy the challenger. In world championships, nearly is never enough, though, and it's those little moments that turn nearly into enough, as Gukesh just found out on Tuesday evening.

Gukesh Dommaraju could become the youngest chess world champion in history, but those who know him best say his success wasn't preordained

In a marathon seventh game of the World Chess Championship, D Gukesh, the youngest-ever challenger, missed a winning position and settled for a fourth consecutive draw against defending champion Ding Liren of China.