Ding Liren becomes the 17th World Chess Champion

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“Self-pinning for immortality — congrats, Ding!!” said Magnus Carlsen as Ding Liren took over his World Championship title. Ding found one last chance to play for a win in the final rapid tiebreak game, just when everyone was sure we were heading to blitz. It was the end of an incredible story for Ding, who never led until Ian Nepomniachtchi resigned in the final moment of the match.

Replay live commentary on the 2023 FIDE World Championship tiebreaks from Fabiano Caruana, Tania Sachdev and Robert Hess.

Ding Liren only got a chance to fight for a place in the 2022 Candidates Tournament when Sergey Karjakin was banned from chess, then he needed to play a crazy month of games to become eligible. He finished 2nd in the Candidates Tournament and would normally have got nothing, but when Magnus Carlsen abdicated his title Ding was given the chance to play a World Championship match.

He never led the match and twice Ian Nepomniachtchi looked sure to win the title, but in the end, after three draws in the rapid tiebreaks, Ding Liren found a way to fight for a win and score a stunning victory.

After three and a half tense rapid tiebreak games it seemed the match was destined to go to blitz games, but Ding Liren found one last remarkable resource with just over a minute on his clock.

With best play Ian Nepomniachtchi could still defend, but Ding Liren had been almost flawless all day and this time he took over just when there was no path back for his opponent. What an incredible win!

The Ding Liren era has begun!

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Ding and Nepomniachtchi all-square before final showdown

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Ding Liren got a dream position with Black after the opening of Game 13, but one over-aggressive move and one real inaccuracy allowed Ian Nepomniachtchi right back into the game. In fact it was Ian who had the chances after Ding sacrificed the exchange, but ultimately the game ended in a quick draw by repetition. The scores are level going into Saturday’s final classical game, when Ding has the white pieces.

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Ding Liren wins wild Game 12 to level the scores again

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Nepomniachtchi closes down sharp clash in Game 11

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Ian Nepomniachtchi had a chance to play on against risky play by Ding Liren in Game 11 of the FIDE World Championship match in Astana, but instead he decided to liquidate everything for a draw. That leaves him still leading by a point with just three games of the match to go, though Ding Liren will still have White in two of them.

Replay Game 11 of the Nepomniachtchi-Ding Liren 2023 FIDE World Championship match in Astana.

1. e4
e5
2. ♘f3
♘c6
3. ♗b5
a6
4. ♗a4
♘f6
5. O-O
♗e7
6. d3
b5
7. ♗b3
d6
8. a3
♘a5
9. ♗a2
c5
10. ♘c3
♗e6
11. ♗g5
O-O
12. ♗xf6
♗xf6
13. ♘d5
g6
14. ♕d2
♗g7
15. ♘g5
c4
16. ♘xe6
fxe6
17. ♘e3
♗h6
18. ♖ad1
♖b8
19. dxc4
♘xc4
20. ♗xc4
bxc4
21. ♕xd6
♕xd6
22. ♖xd6
♗xe3
23. fxe3
♖xf1+
24. ♔xf1
♖xb2
25. ♖xe6
♖xc2
26. ♖xa6
♖a2
27. ♖c6
♖xa3
28. ♖xc4
♖xe3
29. ♔f2
♖a3
30. ♖c5
♖a2+
31. ♔f3
♖a3+
32. ♔g4
♖a2
33. ♔h3
♖e2
34. ♖xe5
♔f7
35. ♔g3
♔f6
36. ♖e8
♔f7
37. ♖e5
♔f6
38. ♖e8
♔f7
39. ♖e5
 1/2-1/2

And here’s the day’s live commentary from Fabiano Caruana, Tania Sachdev and Robert Hess.

Game 11 of the World Championship match got off to an interesting start, with Ding Liren avoiding the Berlin Defence that had initially worked well for him in Game 9. Instead we followed Game 5, which Ian Nepomniachtchi won, until he varied with 8.a3 instead of 8.c3.

When 15…c4!? appeared on the board it looked like we were in for a fascinating struggle, with Nepomniachtchi having real chances to increase his lead, but Ding ready to pounce in case of a mistake.

It was a tense struggle, with Ding Liren taking his time but finding strong moves.

In another match situation Ian would likely have chosen 19.Qe2! and a full-fledged struggle would follow, but instead Ian decided simply to preserve his lead by going for mass simplications after 19.dxc4 Nxc4 20.Bxc4 bxc4 21.Qxd6.

Soon it was over, so that Ian Nepomniachtchi goes into the rest day on Tuesday with a 6:5 lead.

The players shook hands on move 39 after a repetition of moves.

Come back later for player quotes and analysis!

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Nepomniachtchi holds Game 10 draw to close on title

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Nepomniachtchi holds Game 9 draw to close on title

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Ding Liren survives scare after "Caruana gambit"

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Ian Nepomniachtchi suddenly whipped up a powerful attack midway through Game 9 of the FIDE World Championship match, but Ding Liren took some brave decisions and held on to make a draw. Ian now leads 5:4 going into the final five games of the match, but Ding still has three games with the white pieces.

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Ding Liren blows huge chance as prep leaks online

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Ding Liren was set to make it a staggering five wins for White in a row, but a combination of missed chances, a bluff, and brilliant defence from Ian Nepomniachtchi saw Game 8 of the World Championship match end in a draw. Ian now leads 4.5:3.5, while Ding has to deal with the fallout of his “anonymous” pre-match training games being discovered online.

Replay Game 8 of the 2023 FIDE World Championship match in Astana, Kazakhstan.

1. d4
♘f6
2. c4
e6
3. ♘c3
♗b4
4. e3
O-O
5. a3
♗xc3+
6. bxc3
d6
7. ♘e2
c5
8. ♘g3
♘c6
9. ♖a2
b6
10. e4
♗a6
11. ♗g5
h6
12. h4
hxg5
13. hxg5
g6
14. gxf6
♕xf6
15. e5
dxe5
16. d5
♘e7
17. d6
♘f5
18. ♘e4
♕d8
19. ♕d3
♔g7
20. g4
♗b7
21. ♖h3
♘h4
22. g5
♗xe4
23. ♕xe4
♘f5
24. ♖d2
♖h8
25. ♖xh8
♕xh8
26. d7
♖d8
27. ♕xe5+
♔h7
28. ♕h2+
♔g7
29. ♕e5+
♔h7
30. ♕h2+
♔g7
31. ♕c7
♕h4
32. ♔d1
♕xg5
33. ♔c2
♕e7
34. ♗g2
e5
35. ♗e4
♘h6
36. ♕xa7
♘g4
37. ♗f3
♘xf2
38. ♖xf2
e4
39. ♖e2
f5
40. ♕xb6
♖xd7
41. ♕b8
♕d6
42. ♕xd6
♖xd6
43. ♗xe4
fxe4
44. ♖xe4
♔f6
45. ♖e8
1/2-1/2

Watch the day’s live commentary with Tania Sachdev, Anish Giri and Robert Hess.

Ding Liren didn’t know it as he sat at the board, but just as for Fabiano Caruana in the 2018 World Championship he’d suffered a title match player’s nightmare, with his opening ideas leaked online.

This time he only had himself to blame, now that all online games enter databases, since there was otherwise no conceivable way for players, nevermind “1500-players”, to play more than one of the opening bombs seen in the match.

On the chessboard, however, Ding Liren pounced on Ian Nepomniachtchi’s first mistake of another thriller, and he was soon just a move or two away from clinching the win and levelling the scores in the match.

Alas for fans of the Chinese star, he missed the cleanest win, believed his opponent rather than calling a bluff, and finally his 37.Bf3? (37.Bc6!) allowed Ian Nepomniachtchi a shot that he didn’t miss.

37…Nxf2! 38.Rxf2 e4! deserved to hold a draw, and there were even nervous moments as Ding could have lost if he’d collapsed again in time trouble.

This time he held on and is just one point behind with six games to go, but how many more heavy blows can a man take?

Come back later for player quotes and analysis!

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Ding Liren freezes and loses heartbreaking Game 7

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Ding wins Game 6 of World Championship rollercoaster

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