Nepomniachtchi is non-committal when asked whether he will challenge for the world championship again. “With his tournament, a huge piece of my life – all of the preparation, all of the work – has finished. But I will play chess more. We will see in the future.”
Ding, who earned €1.1m for winning the title in tiebreaks, is asked about his immediate plans.
“I may go travel if I have some spare time,” he says. “I want to go Turin to see a game of Juventus, my favorite club.”
Ding: 'This match reflects the deepness of my soul'
“I started to learn chess from four years old,” Ding says. “I spent 26 years playing, analyzing, trying to improve my chess ability with many different ways, with different changing methods. with many new ways of training.”
He continues: “I think I did everything. Sometimes I thought I was addicted to chess, because sometimes without tournaments I was not so happy. Sometimes I struggled to find other hobbies to make me happy. This match reflects the deepness of my soul.”
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Ding dedicates his win to his friends, his mother and his grandfather. He’s asked why he decided to go for the win in the fourth game with so little time on his clock when Nepomniachtchi was holding the position.
“It was one of the two ways to play for a win,” he says. “The other one was to play Rf7 after Qd5, but [the first] was better. The king was safe on h7.”
He’s then asked about the betting odds, which favored Nepomniachtchi in the shorter time controls of the tiebreaks due to his perceived greater experience.
“We both have a lot of experience,” he says. “We’re established grandmasters. We’ve played a lot of tiebreaks in recent years, so it doesn’t mean anything. The white pieces are not always the advantage. at some point you can get too optimistic about your chances and sometimes lose.”
“The key moment was in the second game,” Nepomniachtchi says in Russian through a translator. “I had a chance to win but I 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. And it happened how it happened.”
Nepomniachtchi: 'I had so many promising positions'
“It was a very emotional moment,” Ding says in English to start the press conference. “I could not control my mood. I will cry. I will burst into tears. It was quite a tough tournament for me. I feel quite relieved.”
On the other side of the dais, a downcast Nepomniachtchi laments his second straight defeat in a world title match.
“I guess I had every chance,” the Russian world No 2 says. “I had so many promising positions and probably should have tried to finish everything in the classical portion. ... Once it went to a tiebreak, of course it’s always some sort of lottery, especially after 14 games [of classical chess]. Probably my opponent made less mistakes, so that’s it.”
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Ding Liren becomes China's first world chess champion
The Magnus Carlsen era is over. Ding Liren becomes China’s first world chess champion. The country now can boast the men’s and women’s titleholders: an unthinkable outcome during the Cultural Revolution when it was banned as a game of the decadent West.
The final moments of the match. The emotions of the players say it all. #NepoDing pic.twitter.com/yllKJes14j
— International Chess Federation (@FIDE_chess) April 30, 2023
Carlsen has checked in, offering his congratulations to his successor.
Self-pinning for immortality. Congrats Ding!! https://t.co/pswA5g6bz9
— Magnus Carlsen (@MagnusCarlsen) April 30, 2023
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Ding wins Game 4! Nepo 0-1 Ding (Nepo 1½-2½ Ding)
Ding Liren is the 17th world chess champion! What a finish! The final moves, which came under time pressure for both players: 57. Kh2 a4 58. Bd4 a3 59. Qc7 Qg6 60. Qc4 c2 61. Be3 Bd6 62. Kg2 h5 63. Kf1 Be5 64. g4 hxg4 65. h5 Qf5 66. Qd5 g3 67. f4 a2 68. Qxa2 Bxf4.
Nerves of steel!
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The moves come across in a blur: 47. Qf5 c4 48. h4 Qd3 49. Qf3 Rf6 50. Qg4 c3 51. Rd1 Qg6 52. Qc8 Rc6 53. Qa8 Rd6 54. Rxd6 Qxd6 55. Qe4+ Qg6 56. Qc4 Qb1+. Nepomniachtchi’s clock is down to 20 seconds. High tension with no margin for error with both players under extreme time pressure.
It looks headed for a perpetual draw after 43. ... Bb4 44. Qe4+ Kg8 45. Qd5+ Kh7 46. Qe4+. But then Ding plays 46. ... Rg6. He’s refused a repetition and is going for the full point with just a minute left on his clock. What drama!
Ding Liren's make-or-break moment: with less time, he refuses a repetition and self-pins with the brilliant 46...Rg6!! to create winning chances. pic.twitter.com/NkunRl7XEo
— Olimpiu Di Luppi (@olimpiuurcan) April 30, 2023
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It’s looking drawish after 40. Qe8 Bxc3 41. Rc1 Rf6 42. Qd7 Qe2 43. Qd5. Barring something extraordinary, the world championship in classical chess is going to be decided by a series of blitz games. What a time to be alive!
The middlegame continues. Nepomniachtchi has twice as much time as Ding after 38. Re1 Kh7 39. Be3 Be5.
The position has liquidated with 31. ... Nd3 32. Bxd3 Qxd3 33. exf5 Rxe1+ 34. Bxe1 Qxc4. The next sequence of moves (35. Ra1 Rxf5 36. Bd2 h6 37. Qc6 Rf7) suggests another draw may be forthcoming. As the Dutch grandmaster Anish Giri glibly puts it:
Another draw incoming. This is Magnus Carlsen, refusing to give up his title.
— Anish Giri (@anishgiri) April 30, 2023
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White looks slighly better after 24. ... f5 25. Re1 Rd8 26. Ra2 Qg6 27. Qe2 Qd6 28. g3 Rde8 29. Qf3 e4. Nepomniachtchi continues to leave his chair and return between moves. After he captures a pawn with 30. dxe4, Ding must find Ne5. Anything else will prove fatal. And he finds it, playing 30. ... Ne5 before Nepo responds with 31. Qg2.
The evaluation bar tilted heavily in black’s favor after 20. Bd2. But it’s since leveled out after 20. ... Nxc3 21. Bxc3 Bxc4 22. bxc4 Bd8 23. Bd2 Bc7 24. c3. Nepomniachtchi is making his moves with incredible speed.
The players appear on level terms after: 17. ... Be6 18. Nc4 d5 19. exd5 Nxd5 20. Bd2. Says American grandmaster Robert Hess says on Chess.com’s broadcast: “Black’s pawn structure is ugly, but that bishop on b1 is even uglier.”
Adds the Indian IM Tania Sachdev: “This game is about that bishop on b1. Why did Ian get it there and why is it still stuck there with absolutely no future in sight? That bishop is crying for help.”
Ding spends more than four minutes before playing 13. ... Qe8. Nepomniachtchi quickly plays 14. b3 and Ding takes another two minutes before going with 14. ... c5. A few more moves come across the board: 15. Nxa4 Nc6 16. Nc3 a5 17. Nd2.
The last rapid game is under way and it’s another Ruy Lopez (1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5). Their ensuing moves entirely mirror today’s second rapid game (3. ... a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. d3 b5 7. Bb3 d6 8. a4 Bd7 9. h3 O-O 10. Be3 Na5 11. Ba2 bxa4) until Nepomniachtchi is first to deviate with 12. Nc3. Ding responds with 12. ... Rb8, then Nepo plays the unusual-looking 13. Bb1.
Ian Nepomniachtchi's 13.Bb1!? in the last rapid game of the tiebreaks is quite a move. As Fabiano Caruana explained, White aims to get the bishop pair after 13...Rxb2 14.Nxa4 Rb8 15.Nc5. pic.twitter.com/JfYmmiaqiI
— Olimpiu Di Luppi (@olimpiuurcan) April 30, 2023
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Game 3 is a draw! Nepo ½-½ Ding (Nepo 1½-1½ Ding)
The rooks are off the board after (25. Rc2 Rd2 26. Rxd2 Bxd2). It looks like we’re headed to a placid draw. The final sequence of moves comes quickly: 27. e3 Bb4 28. Kf1 Ke7 29. Ke2 Kd6 30. Kd3 Be1 31. Ke2 Bb4 32. Kd3 Be1 33. Ke2. The handshake is offered and Nepomniachtchi has been able to pick up an easy draw with the black pieces.
Ding has spent more than six minutes pondering his response to 23. ... a5. He finally goes with 24. Rc4. Nepomniachtchi needs all of 12 seconds before answering with 24. ... Bb4 and taking a quick break from the board. Ding is trailing by about six minutes on the clock but it doesn’t look like time is going to be a factor.
Ding goes up a pawn after 19. ... Be7 20. Nd7 Bxd7 21. Rxd7 Kf8 22. Bxb7 Rd8 23. Rc7 a5. But former world champion Vishy Anand thinks the opposite-colored bishops are more significant.
and now the opposite colored bishops matter much more than a pawn. #NepoDing
— Viswanathan Anand (@vishy64theking) April 30, 2023
An exciting game is afoot after 15. ... Bf6 16. Nc4 Rb8 17. Ne5. The evaluation bar has it dead even. Nepomniachtchi spends more than three minutes before deciding on 17. ... Rd8. Ding then forces a rook exchange follows (18. Rxd8+ Bxd8) and follows with 19. Rd1.
The players blitz out their opening moves: 5. ... O-O 6. b3 c5 7. cxd5 Nxd5 8. Bb2 Nc6 9. d4 cxd4 10. Nxd4 Nxd4 11. Qxd4. From there Ding is thinking while Nepo appears to be still in his opening prep. A few more moves: 11. ... Bf6 12. Qd2 Nf4 13. gxf4 Qxd2 14. Nxd2 Bxb2 15. Rad1.
Ding opens Game 3 with 1. Kf3! It’s the first time we’ve seen it in this world championship match! A King’s Indian Attack follows (1. ... d5 2. g3 Nf6 3. Bg2 e6 4. O-O Be7), but Ding diverts with 5. c4.
🚨 New first move alert!
— ChesscomLive (@ChesscomLive) April 30, 2023
Ding starts the third game of the rapid playoff with 1.Nf3 as White! #NepoDing pic.twitter.com/SdfIGAwRPO
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Game 2 is a draw! Nepo ½-½ Ding (Nepo 1-1 Ding)
The dance continues: 34. Rg5 Rf4 35. f3 h6 36. Rd5 Nb4 37. Rd6 Rd5 38. Rb7 Rd5 39. Rdb6 Rd8. The knights are off the board after 40. Nf6+ gxf6 41. Rxb4 Rd4. Then rooks (42. Rxd4 Rxd4). Then one final flurry of moves before the handshake is offered. It’s another draw and we’re ensured at least two more rapid games to decide the next world champion!
It’s starting to peter out: 26. ... Rb4 27. Rc5 d3 28. cxd3 Nxd3 29. Rxc6 Ne5 30. Rc7 Nxc4 31. Nc5 Nxb2 32. Nd7 Re8 33. Rxa5 Nd3. We’re likely headed toward another draw.
Game 2 is in an endgame. The queens and light-squared bishops are off the board after 23. Qe4 Nf4 24. Qe5 Qxe5 25. Rxe5 Bxc4 26. dxc4. The eval bar is nearly dead even after swinging heavily in white’s favor after 20. ... Nd5. Nepo has 12 minutes on his clock to Ding’s eight.
White’s position looks rock-solid after 17. Be6 18. Re1 a5 19. Qf3 Rb7 20. e5 Nd5. Will Nepo go for some material exchanges or keep the tension? Looks like the former (21. exd6 Bxd6 22. Bxd6 Qxd6).
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Ding plays 15. ... c6. Nepo has a think before forcing the knight trade on d4 (16. Nxd4 exd4), then opts for 17. Bf4.
Robert Speed checks in via email:
Rapid is the future of OTB competitive chess. Engines have ruined classical time control chess. Rapid is a more human, and exciting, format. Carlsen is right.
We discussed this on Today in Focus around the last world championship match. Generally, I tend to agree!
Nepomniachtchi recaptures the loose pawn (14. Nxa4). Ding spends another two minutes before playing 14. ... Nd4, offering a trade of knights. Nepo defers, opting instead for 15. Bc4.
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Ding spends more than four and a half minutes before deciding on 13. ... Rb8. He’s gone five minutes behind Nepomniachtchi on the clock.
More moves: 6. ... b5 7. Bb3 d6 8. a4 Bd7 9. h3 O-O 10. Be3 Na5 11. Ba2 bxa4 12. Bd2 Nc6 13. Nc3. Ding settles in for his first think of the match: where is he going to move that knight from c6?
The second rapid game is under way and the Ruy Lopez is on the board: 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5. They blitz out their next moves into a variation known as the Martinez (3. ... a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. d3).
Game 1 is a draw! Nepo ½-½ Ding
A thrilling finish to the first rapid game: 29. Kg2 Rh5 30. Rb5 Rd1 31. Nd5 Rdh1 32. Ne7+ Kh7 33. Rxe5 R1h2+ 34. Kg1 Rh1+ 35. Kg2. Some nail-biting moments for Ding but he survives to salvage the half-point. Game 2 will start in 10 minutes.
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And the queens are off the board (26. ... Rxd2 27. Nxc7). Then an exchange of light-squared bishops (27. ... Bh3 28. Bxh3 Rxh3). Nepomniachtchi is down to about seven and a half minutes, Ding to under five. But the 10sec increment does much to alleviate the pressure.
Nepo looks to sacrifice a queen for a mating attack on the queenside, but Ding rejects the offer. After 25. cxb6 axb6, Ding finds 26. Nb5 to keep the balance. Exciting stuff!
The eval bar goes back to dead even after Ding’s 23. Rb1. Could a queen sacrifice be in play after 23. ... Ne5 24. e4 b6?
A few more moves: 18. Ng5 h6 19. Ne4 Rae8 20. e3 Re5 21. Qd2 Rd8. The evaluation bar spikes in white’s favor after that last move, although the position looks solid on the board. Ding plays 22. Nd6 and Nepo answers with 22. ... Rh5.
Ding opts for 17. Qxd5. He captures a black’s d-pawn while allowing Nepo to recapture (17. ... Bxg4). Former world champion Vishy Anand is just as surprised.
17.Qxd5 while we were wondering whether 17.g5 or Qa4 #NepoDing
— Viswanathan Anand (@vishy64theking) April 30, 2023
A couple more moves on the board: 15. Rc1 Bxc3 16. Rxc3 Nc6. Ding has spent more than five minutes mulling his response. Specifically, his two primary options of Qa4 or g5.
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Another flurry of moves: 7. Bg2 O-O 8. b4 Ng4 9. Bd4 Qc7 10. O-O e5 11. h3 exd4 12. hxg4 dxc3 13. Nxc4 Nxb4 14. a3 Bf6. Interestingly, it’s Nepomniachtchi who has fallen about five minutes behind on the clock early on after Ding has spent most of the past three weeks under time pressure. The Chinese challenger’s preparation for today’s first game has been spot-on.
The first rapid game is under way and Ding goes with the trusty Queen’s Pawn opening (1. d4). They blitz out the opening moves from there (1. ... Nf6 2. Nf3 d5 3. c3 c5 4. dxc5 e6 5. Be3 Be7 6. g3 Nc6). Nepomniachtchi with an early pawn sacrifice.
The first rapid game has begun! #NepoDing
— ChesscomLive (@ChesscomLive) April 30, 2023
Follow the tiebreaks with commentary on https://t.co/pJhlWXLBt8 ✅ pic.twitter.com/uUY0REVSY4
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Only a few minutes left before today’s first game. Here’s a look at how Nepo and Ding matchup in the rapid and blitz formats.
The format
Here’s a review of the format for the world championship match. So far it has consisted of 14 classical games with each player awarded one point for a win and a half-point for a draw. Both Nepomniachtchi and Ding finished with seven points apiece in a rollercoaster classical portion, which included no fewer than six decisive results.
The time control for those games was 120 minutes for the first 40 moves, 60 minutes for the next 20 moves and then 15 minutes for the rest of the game plus an additional increment of 30 seconds per move starting on move 61.
The time control for today’s tiebreak games are as follows:
• A four-game rapid playoff with a 25+10 time control. Ding will start with white in the first game after a drawing of lots following yesterday’s Game 14 press conference.
• If still tied, the players will contest a two-game playoff with a 5+3 time control. A drawing of lots will decide which player starts with white.
• If still tied, the players will contest another two-game playoff with a 5+3 time control. A drawing of lots will decide which player starts with white.
• If still tied, the players will play 3+2 games until there is a winner. A drawing of lots will again decide who starts with white, with colors alternating after each game.
The complete official regulations can be found here.
Prelude
Hello and welcome to the tiebreaks of the World Chess Championship. There’s nothing to separate second-ranked Ian Nepomniachtchi of Russia and third-ranked Ding Liren of China after the scheduled 14 classical games of their €2m ($2.2m) world championship match at the St Regis Astana Hotel, so they’re selling matters with a series of games under shorter time controls.
Whoever prevails today will succeed Magnus Carlsen as the 17th world chess champion after the 32-year-old Norwegian decided against defending it for a fifth time, citing a lack of motivation. It marks only the second time in the 137-year history of world championship matchplay that a holder has opted not to defend his crown – after American grandmaster Bobby Fischer controversially forfeited the belt in 1975.
We are roughly 20 minutes from the ceremonial first move. More to come between now and then.
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Bryan will be here shortly. In the meantime here’s a look back at yesterday’s Game 14.
