The tension of the champions was palpable. In the 4th and final game of the World Chess Championship in Astana, Kazakhstan, Grandmaster Ding Liren finished after a grueling battle that forced his opponent Ian Nepomniachtchi to retire. With this ultimate he becomes the first Chinese world champion in the history of the game.
The two protagonists therefore had to face each other until the tie-breaks to decide between themselves after a first phase of 14 classic games which ended with the score of 7-7.
By winning Ding Liren wins the tidy sum of 1.1 million dollars. This gifted thirty-year-old player showed throughout the competition a great spirit of initiative despite a few losses, especially at the start as a result of the stress that overwhelmed him.
Nepomniachtchi – Ding Liren Fast Part 4 Spanish Part
1.e4 e5 2.Cf3 Cc6 3.Fb5 a6 4.Fa4 Cf6 5.0–0 Fe7 6.d3 b5 7.Fb3 d6 8.a4 Fd7 9.h3 0–0 10.Fe3 Ca5 11.Fa2 bxa4 12.Cc3 Tb8 13.FB1 De8 14.B3 C5 15.cxa4 CC6 16.cc3 A5 17.cd2 Fe6 18.cc4 D5 19.exd5 Cxd5 20.fd2 Cxc3 21.fxc3 FXC4 22.BXC4 FD8 23.FD2 FC7 24.c3 F5 25. Te1 Td8 26. Ta2 Dg6 27. De2 Dd6 28. g3 Tde8 29. Df3 e4 30. dxe4 Ce5 31. Dg2 Cd3 Si 31… Cxc4 32. Ff4, 32. Fxd3 Dxd3 33. exf5 Txe1 34. Fxe1 Dxc4 35. Ta1 35. Txf5 36. Fd2 h6 37. Dc6 Tf7 38. Te1 Rh7 39. Fe3 Fe5 40. De8 Fxc3 41. Tc1 Tf6 42. Dd7 De2 43. Dd5 Fb4 44. De4 Rg8 45. Dd5 Rh7 46. De4 Tg6 47. h4… 0-1 and Nepomniachtchi abandon us a vingtaine of coups plus tard
Currently number 3 in the world, he should certainly climb to 2nd place. Ambitious, he must certainly hope that Magnus Carlsen, now officially dispossessed of the supreme title, has the idea of wanting to regain his property. The match between these two super champions could be a once-in-a-lifetime event for sure.
No matter the quality: if six Chinese women have been world chess champions since 1990, including the current Ju Wenjun, it is the first time that the country has won the supreme title – because it is open to both men and women – chess. China has been one of the most feared nations in chess for several years: in particular, it won the Olympiads in 2014 and 2018, the most important competition between nations in the discipline, with Ding taking a leading part in both editions. He broke all the ceilings in his country, and was long seen as the one who could bring down the world champion since 2013, Magnus Carlsen. Ding was born in Wenzhou in 1992, a city which obtained the title of “Chinese chess city” two years later. Second in the Under-10 World Championship in 2003, he really revealed himself by becoming China’s youngest chess champion in 2009. Ding was then the highest ranked Chinese player in history, and the first to participate in the Candidates tournament, the winner of which becomes the challenger for the reigning world champion, in 2018 then 2020. From 2018, he becomes the 5th player in the world ranking, even climbing to second place in 2021. But the Covid-19 pandemic, which lasts in China, puts a brutal halt to its trajectory. In 2022, he does not obtain a visa to participate in the qualifying competitions for the Candidates tournament and does not participate in almost any competition on the official circuit between June 2021 and April 2022. The disqualification of Russian Serguei Karjakin from any competition organized by the international federation chess due to his pro-war stance in Ukraine, however, frees up a spot for the top-ranked unqualified player: Ding Liren. Unlike tennis, the points acquired in chess do not disappear after a year, but change only after games. His participation in the Candidates tournament in April 2022 is therefore shrouded in mystery. After a loss in the first match against Nepomniachtchi, Ding made up for it and snatched second place in the tournament on the last day. The position miraculously becomes qualifying for the world championship when Magnus Carlsen, five-time reigning winner, decides to give up his crown, tired of the format of the competition. Facing Nepo, in Astana, Ding is chasing the score: trailed three times, he comes back to match by winning the 12th round, at the end of a game where his opponent has, on several occasions, a decisive advantage but does not find the good moves to conclude. “These are two players who attack very well and who defend, for their level, relatively badly”, explains Kevin Bordi, host of the Blizstream channel and main internet figure in French-speaking chess. The date of the next world championship is not known. The Candidates tournament, which will designate its challenger, will take place in April 2024.
