“In the first half I couldn’t concentrate and couldn’t think about chess”
Ian Nepomniachtchi (left) and Ding Liren fight for the world championship title in Astana
What: AFP/-
Dhe Russian Ian Nepomniachtchi and his Chinese opponent Ding Liren ended the first game at the 49th World Chess Championship on Sunday with a draw. The game in the Kazakh capital of Astana lasted almost five hours until both players agreed to share points after 49 moves.
Ding then admitted that he felt “too much pressure”. “I’m a little depressed,” said the Chinese, who started with the disadvantage of the black stones and defended well. “In the first half of the game I couldn’t concentrate and couldn’t think about chess. My head was full of memories and feelings,” he explained.
Permanent world champion Magnus Carlsen did not compete due to lack of motivation. The 32-year-old Norwegian won the Candidates Tournament for the first time in 2013, won the title at the World Cup that followed and hasn’t relinquished it since.
A duel between Nepomniachtchi, winner of the 2022 Candidates Tournament, and Carlsen was initially planned. With his renunciation, the Second Thing moved up. It is the second World Cup for Nepomniachtchi, in 2021 he lost significantly to Carlsen. Ding plays his first world championship.
Nepomniachtchi is considered a slight favourite. The 32-year-old won the majority of the 73 games played so far against Ding, most of which took place online due to the pandemic.
Ian Nepomniachtchi is considered a slight favorite for the world title
What: AFP/-
14 games are played with a long thinking time. A win is worth one point, and a draw gives each player half a point. Whoever reaches 7.5 points first wins. In the event of a tie, the decision will be made in a tie-break scheduled for April 30th. The prize money is two million euros.