The world of chess has a new champion now! Ding Liren, a Chinese chess player, claimed victory over his Russian rival, Ian Nepomniachtchi. With this, Ding became the first male champion from China. The result also brought Magnus Carlsen’s decade-long reign to an end.
Everything About Ding Liren
Ding was born in Wenzhou, China. The city has a rich chess history; it’s also where former Women’s World Chess Champion Zhu Chen is from.
From an early age, Ding started participating in chess tournaments. At the young age of 16, Ding won his first Chinese Chess Championship, making him the youngest to ever do so. Due to his excellent performance, Ding earned the final grandmaster norm needed for the prominent chess title. By the age of 19, Ding had already won three national championships.
Presently, at the age of 30, Ding Liren boasts an impressive list of achievements in chess, with numerous accolades and titles to his name.
2023 World Championship
Ding Liren sealed the title with a 68-move win in the last rapid game of the tie-break. However, while Ding emerged victorious in the World Chess Championship, he may not be able to claim the title of undisputed champion. This is because the tournament did not feature Magnus Carlsen, the world’s best player and winner of the previous five World Championships.
It was only when Magnus withdrew (due to a lack of motivation) from the World Championship match against Nepomniachtchi that Ding got a chance to play. After the opening game was drawn, Nepomniachtchi secured. However, Ding made an impressive comeback in the remaining matches, managing to equalize in the 12th game.
During their tie-breaker, the first three games were drawn, and Ding won the fourth, officially becoming China’s first World Chess Champion in the open category.
Ding said, “This match reflects the deepness of my soul.”
The Fall Of Ian Nepomniachtchi
Ian Nepomniachtchi, the super grandmaster from Russia, after being lost to Ding, said,
“The key moment was in the second game, I had a chance to win but didn’t realize it. Then in the fourth game, I had to play more accurately. But after [48. h4], the situation changed. The time was very little and it was very difficult to change myself, to change the game. White was close to winning. It was hard to imagine that I could lose. But things happen.”
He also added that with this tournament, a massive piece of his life, including all of the preparation and work – had finished.
This was a grieving moment for the Russian player and a proud one for China. China now has both male and female World Chess Champions.
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