Indian challenger D Gukesh held defending champion Ding Liren of China to a draw with black pieces in an intense sixth game of the World Chess Championship to remain level on points here Sunday. The third draw in a row left both players on an identical tally of three points apiece, still shy of 4.5 more points in order to win the championship. The two players signed peace after 46 moves. It was the fourth draw of the match.

It remains to be seen what strategy the players would opt for as the match moves towards the half-way mark. The 32-year-old Liren had won the opening game while the 18-year-old Gukesh had emerged victorious in the third game. The second, fourth and fifth games had ended in draws. With eight games still remaining in the 14-round match, the battle will resume after the second rest day on Monday. If the scores are tied after eight games, there is an extra day for tie-break games of shorter duration to decide the next world champion.