Chinese player wins world chess championship for the first time

Dinh Lap Nhan in a tie-break with Ian Nepomniachtchi at the world chess final, held in Astana, Kazakhstan, on April 30, 2023. Photo: Guardian

In the fourth and final rapid game of the tie-break series on the evening of April 30, Nepomniachtchi held the white pieces and had an advantage in the middle game at times but was unable to capitalize. Ding Liren found an excellent move to salvage the situation.

Nepomniachtchi missed the opportunity, looking for a constant check to force a draw to force a blitz tie-break, which was the Russian's forte. However, Dinh took the risk of using his rook to block the check with 46...Rg6. From there, the Chinese player counterattacked with a queenside pawn advantage. His pressure caused his opponent to make a mistake, giving Black the win after 68 moves.

When White could not escape checkmate after eight moves, Nepomniachtchi stopped his watch and shook hands with Ding. The Chinese player put his right elbow on the table, put his head down, and held his forehead with his hand. He maintained this position for a long time, while Nepomniachtchi quickly signed the minutes and left the room. The 33-year-old Russian tried to throw an object in his hand, but held back his anger. Ding left the playing area without a smile.

This is the second time in a row that Nepomniachtchi has lost in the world final, after a quick 3.5-7.5 defeat to Magnus Carlsen in 2021. Partly because of the need to rematch the defeated opponent, Carlsen refused to defend his World Chess Championship. Another reason is that he disagrees with the standard 14-game format, which takes too much preparation time. The world number one wants to incorporate both rapid and blitz chess into the main program, instead of the current tie-break.

Ding became the first Chinese male to win the world championship, although he only played in the Candidates tournament and the final as a wildcard. The country has had seven women's champions in its history, most recently Ju Wenjun, who won three consecutive titles since 2018. The women's world chess final will be held in July 2023 and will be between two Chinese players.

Nepomniachtchi in the decisive match with Dinh Lap Nhan today, April 30. Photo: Guardian

After 14 standard games in the men's final, the two players were tied 7-7, with each player winning three, losing three, and drawing eight games. Ian Nepomniachtchi took the lead three times but was equalized each time, forcing the match into a rapid tie-break. After three draws in the first three rapid games, Nepomniachtchi lost in the deciding game.

The first tie-break is played in four rapid games, with each side having 25 minutes, plus 10 seconds after each move (25+10). The first player to reach 2.5 points wins. If the tie is 2-2 after four games, the two players will continue to play a blitz tie-break, but Dinh does not need this.

The World Chess Championship is the most prestigious chess tournament at the individual level. The history of the World Championship since 1886 has recorded 16 champions, of which Emanuel Lasker is the leader with six victories, from 1894 to 1921. These 16 champions are informally known as Chess Kings, the most recent being Magnus Carlsen, who won the championship five times, from 2013 to 2023.

Nepomniachtchi entered the match as the world's number two player, with a standard Elo of 2,795, behind Magnus Carlsen (2,853), while Dinh was third with an Elo of 2,788. Nepomniachtchi earned his place in the final by winning the 2022 Candidates tournament. He was originally due to challenge Carlsen for the title of Chess King. But because the Norwegian refused to play, Candidates runner-up Dinh was promoted to play Nepomniachtchi to determine the champion. Many masters and legends such as Garry Kasparov still consider Carlsen to be the King of Chess, regardless of the result of the match between Nepomniachtchi and Dinh.

Although not considered by many to be the King of Chess, Ding is the 17th male world champion in 137 years of history, and has affirmed the position of Chinese intellectual sports internationally.

According to VnExpress