India, Dec. 10 -- When Ding Liren blundered, resigned and walked away from the board after Game 11, he seemed a broken man. A day later, he was talking about how drinking coffee and going to bed early helped him make a remarkable comeback from the abyss.

Towards the end of Game 12, in a winning position, Ding could have wrapped things up in a straightforward fashion by winning an exchange with 26.Na7! Commentators deconstructed if it was a psychological ploy and were curious why the world champion didn't go for it. "The reason is simple," Ding smiled. "I missed Na7!". There was laughter and surprise in the press room.

Over the past fortnight, we've got a look at the cross-section of the minds of both players. Gukesh - optimistic, aggres...