FIDE World Championship - Ding, Gukesh Game 4 battle settled in a draw.

 My thoughts...

 Day 4, Game 4 of FIDE World Championship 2024.

A well-rested Ding, introduced few surprises by opening with the Knight move to Nf3 instead of the typical e4, d4, or c4 with the white pieces. Gukesh, his opponent, maintained control and responded with d5 to seize the center.

Gukesh proceeded with London system reverse setup, activating the white square Bishop to Bf5, and establishing a safe square for his bishop to retreat to h7 in case of a surprise attack.

Ding proceeded with his next move, the dark square Bishop -  a move to Ba3 square to prevent the King from castling. Gukesh took time to address this, allowing for a smooth King castle with the Knight move to recapture the dark square Bishop. Ding then swapped the dark square Bishop. Keeping the Bishop with a return to Bb2 square instead of the exchange is a better option? Maybe or maybe not.

With the immediate exchange of dark square Bishop, all moves where safe except a pawn move to b4. Despite facing challenging moves with Black pieces, Gukesh skillfully navigated the game towards a rook endgame, resulting in a draw through a three-fold repetition.

 Ding's strong timing in this game, maintained an even pace with his opponent.

While he had the opportunity to secure a win with the white pieces, the result of 1/2 - 1/2 draw ensures the score remains balanced for now with the focus on the next upcoming game 5 tonight.