Both players got the opening wrong. Gukesh had his seconds' idea ready on move five and mixed it up by move nine; Ding was an hour down on the clock by move five and answered a strategically won position with a move that hunted tactics instead of finishing his development. Kidambi, writing it up three days later with the match still running, says he would have called White's position strategically lost around move twelve. What happens after that is the reason to replay the game: Gukesh spends an hour on a quiet pawn move, works out that he is worse, and then plays the best stretch of chess in the match.