Ding and Gukesh have met only three times in classical games due to their age difference. Ding holds a 2½-½ edge in their head-to-head with two wins and one draw, all since January 2023. Their most recent meeting happened in January at the Tata Steel Chess Tournament in Wijk aan Zee, where Ding won playing as black.

But Ding has played only 44 classical games in the 19 months since winning the world title amid a well-documented bout with depression. Since returning from a nine-month hiatus to prioritize his mental health, Ding suffered four consecutive losses and came in dead last at the Norway Chess tournament in May, finished third from bottom at August’s Sinquefield Cup at St Louis after winning just 3½ points from nine games, then failed to win a single game at September’s Chess Olympiad in Budapest to drop out of the top 20. He enters the world title match on a 28-game winless streak in classical games dating back to January.

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