After five games, both players have won one game each with the overall score of the best-of-14 contest poised at 2.5-2.5.

This is an instructive observation from the reigning world champion. For the whole year now, it's plagued Ding -- he has previously admitted to the well-documented problems of 2024 being centred around his inability to convert advantageous positions into wins.

D Gukesh and Ding Liren remained tied at 2.5-2.5 after an intense Game 5 draw in the World Chess Championship, with Gukesh's resilient defense countering Ding's calculated aggression to keep the series evenly poised.