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Ding Liren is the first Chinese to be world champion in chess. The 30-year-old prevailed against his Russian rival Ian Nepomniachtchi in the tie-break on Sunday and secured the title.
When was the last time there was such a World Chess Championship? Ding Liren from China and Ian Nepomniachtchi from Russia went back and forth for almost three weeks. Half of all games were decided directly, there were far fewer draws than in previous years.
The Russian led for a long time, but the Chinese equalized shortly before the end. After 14 games there was still no decision, which only brought a tie-break on Sunday. Now, after three spectacular weeks in Astana, the new chess world champion is certain: Ding Liren succeeds Magnus Carlsen. After ten years of regency, he had voluntarily not started again – for reasons of motivation.
“Nepo” and Ding, number two and three in the world, played boldly and offensively from the start. Almost every mistake against Carlsen was punished – that’s why his challengers at the World Cup usually hardly took any risks. Well, without the Norwegian’s oversized shadow, the World Cup became an offensive spectacle, full of new ideas and moves. An exchange of blows that also lived on the mistakes of the other – but still a World Cup at a high level, especially on the offensive. After the fourth game at the latest, this World Chess Championship developed real hype, even without superstar Carlsen.
Ding speaks openly about mental problems
Many feared that after two games a preliminary decision had already been made. The Chinese Ding Liren lost with the white pieces after just 29 moves – he had surprised everyone with an unusual pawn move in front of his rook, but was then outplayed. Now he was sitting at the press conference, openly reporting on his mental problems and the pressure to become the first Chinese world champion. Not only did he seem depressed, he admitted it openly. That and how he openly revealed his inner life became another chapter of this special World Chess Championship.
Almost written off, he looked combative in the third round, as if he had been replaced. It was enough for a safe draw, at least half a point. Game four the day after, the Chinese’s confidence is back and he equalizes with a win. 2:2 after four games. A wild start. But only the gallop, because after that it really started.
Playful highlights: Games five and six
Game five: As so often, “Nepo” begins with the Spanish variant, “Ruy Lopez”, a classic. King’s pawns, knights and bishops are developed quickly, hardly anything is played more often. The Russian develops an advantage from this classic, which he continues to expand. The Chinese hardly makes a mistake and still has no chance.
Game six: How did Ding recover from the loss before? Apparently good. Now he has the white pieces and is playing for a win. On move 41 he moves his pawn one square forward, to d5. The chess computers show immediately: Now he has a big advantage. Meanwhile, millions of viewers on the screens are puzzling over what the advantage is. The chess computer shows us all what the best move is – but even super grandmasters only understand the idea after a few minutes.
“I don’t see it, why did he move the pawn?“, asks the Dutchman Anish Giri, who is number six in the world rankings, in the live stream from chess.com. He puzzles and puzzles, then he sees what Ding must have seen long in advance: later this pawn denies the opponent’s king the only one Escape field to escape Matt. Nepo plays a few more moves.”What we have just seen is one of the most beautiful endings in World Cup history” commented Dawid Howell, also a chess grandmaster and Carlsen buddy from his corporate empire.
There is much more to tell: how Ding has a big advantage in a game, but then gives away the win under time pressure. How Nepo fights 82 moves for a win, but then agrees to the draw. And above all: How the Russian already had the World Cup victory in mind in the 12th game, but then still lost the game with an inexplicable pawn move. He tortures himself on the board for more than 15 minutes after his unbelievable mistake and the whole world watches him suffer – it hurts and later turns out to be the preliminary decision of the whole World Cup. Nepo, who lost to Carlsen in 2021, failed again.
Carlsen himself found this World Cup exciting
There were many more mistakes at this World Chess Championship than in previous years, but also a lot of class – and a spectacle that chess fans can only look forward to. The Norwegian Carlsen, who was voluntarily dethroned, also sees it that way. “It was an exciting match. I would have expected a higher level defensively, but am very impressed by how both players have consistently developed advantages in the games and how little they have been able or willing to flatten the games out as early as possible” he said a few days ago.
“There were many complicated positions out of the openings. If so, there are more errors. In the previous World Championship matches, my opponents often chose the most solid lines, especially with black, in order to take fewer risks, which is probably the best strategy against me.“
Many see this spectacular World Cup, without Carlsen, with so many decisive games, as the best proof that the World Cup mode doesn’t need to be adjusted any further. It was indeed exciting in Astana. But the discussions are likely to continue.
Carlsen did the excitement of the World Chess Championship a favor by withdrawing. Will he try to recapture the chess crown again? Completely unclear. If the Norwegian decides in the future that he wants to be world champion again, he has to qualify via the Candidates Tournament. That is at the beginning of 2024. But one thing is also certain after this World Cup: Even Magnus Carlsen will not beat the new world champion Ding Liren in passing.