Ding Liren, the Chinese Grandmaster who lost to India’s D. Gukesh in Game 14 of the World Chess Championship on Thursday, is facing accusations of deliberately losing the title match. Andrei Filatov, President of the Russian Chess Federation, has called for a formal investigation by FIDE into what he describes as suspicious behavior by Liren during the crucial final game.

The match had been a thrilling back-and-forth battle, with both players needing a win to secure the title. Liren, who had come from behind in earlier games to keep his title hopes alive, appeared on the verge of drawing the game and forcing Gukesh into a tie-break series of four rapid games. However, on move 55, Liren made a critical blunder, which allowed Gukesh to capitalize and claim victory.

Filatov, in comments to the Russian news agency TASS, expressed disbelief over Liren’s mistake, suggesting that such a blunder was highly unlikely from a player of Liren’s caliber. “The result of the last game caused bewilderment among professionals and chess fans. The actions of the Chinese chess player in the decisive segment are extremely suspicious and require a separate investigation by FIDE. Losing the position in which Ding Liren was is difficult even for a first-class player. The defeat of the Chinese chess player in today’s game raises a lot of questions and looks like a deliberate one,” Filatov said.

Following the blunder, Gukesh secured the World Chess Championship title, becoming the 18th Grandmaster and only the second Indian after Viswanathan Anand to win the prestigious title.

With this dramatic turn of events, the chess world is now left questioning whether the outcome of the final game was truly a mistake, or if it was part of a larger controversy. Filatov’s call for an investigation has raised eyebrows, with many in the chess community now awaiting FIDE’s response.