Ding becomes China's first world chess champion
Ding Liren became China's first world chess champion on Sunday after a rapid-play tie-break victory over Russia's Ian Nepomniachtchi in Kazakhstan.
Ding, 30, takes over as winner of the World Chess Championship from Norway's Magnus Carlsen, who chose not to defend his title after a 10-year reign.
He and Nepomniachtchi had finished on seven points each after the 14 first-stage games played in the Kazakh capital, Astana.
Each had won three, with the other eight ending in draws.
For the tie-break stage of the match, also in Astana, the contenders had only 25 minutes to make their moves, plus an additional 10 seconds for each move played.
Ding clinched victory after winning the fourth of Sunday's quick-fire games following three draws.
Both players reacted emotionally, with Nepomniachtchi getting up from the table quickly after shaking hands to concede defeat, and shaking hands again before leaving the hall.
Ding sat in front of the board, his face resting on one hand as he tried to compose himself.
"I'm quite relieved," said Ding, in comments posted after the match by FIDE, the International Chess Federation.
"The moment Ian resigned the game was a very emotional moment. I couldn't control my feelings. I know myself, I will cry and burst into tears. It was a tough tournament for me."
He had held his nerve to come back from behind three times during the 14-match classical play series: each time Nepomniachtchi won a game to take the lead, Ding eventually levelled the score with a win of his own.
No Chinese player had ever previously won the competition, in which men and women can compete.
But China has dominated women's tournaments since the 1990s and Ding's triumph signalled the country's rise as a major player on the global chess scene.
Ju Wenjun is the reigning world champion in women's chess and will face compatriot Lei Tingjie in July to defend her title.
China also won the Chess Olympiad, the game's most important international competition, in 2014 and 2018, with Ding playing a major role in his nation's success on both occasions.
The 14th and final game Saturday in the classical format had demonstrated once again that, at this level, chess is as much a question of nerves as a battle of minds, as both players made uncharacteristic mistakes.
Although Nepomniachtchi pushed hard to convert a slight advantage into a win, he finally had to settle for a draw in what was the longest game of the tournament: 90 moves played over more than six and a half hours.
Sunday's action followed a similar trend, with the games likely to be most remembered for their dramatic circumstances rather than the quality of play.
Nepomniachtchi appeared to acknowledge this in his comments after the match.
"I guess I had a chance and many promising positions," he said, in comments posted by FIDE.
"Probably I should have tried to finish everything in the classical portion, because it was a matter of one or two precise moves."
Born in Wenzhou, which has become known as China's "chess city", Ding burst onto the scene in 2009 when he became the country's youngest chess champion at national level.
He then became the highest-ranked Chinese player in the world rankings, reaching a high of second place in 2021.
The Covid-19 pandemic held back Ding's progress and he initially failed to obtain a visa for competitions leading to qualification for the Candidates Tournament, which players must win to challenge the world champion.
The disqualification of Russia's Sergey Karjakin from all tournaments organised by the International Chess Federation, which took a pro-Ukraine position following Moscow's invasion, freed up a space at the 2022 Candidates Tournament which Ding took as the highest-ranked non-qualifier.
He finished second at the tournament, but Carlsen's decision to step aside from the World Chess Championship allowed him to compete against Nepomniachtchi in Astana.
At Sunday's closing news conference, Ding said he wanted to dedicate the victory to his friends, mother and grandfather.
"I started to learn chess from four years old... I spent 26 years playing, analysing, trying to improve my chess ability with many different ways, with different changing methods, with many new ways of training," he said.
"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."
The two-million-euro ($2.2-million) prize money will be split 55-45 between the two players.
(责任编辑:行业动态)
- 优化广东优质农产品产销资源对接!“农友圈”又有新动作
- Cat comes to the rescue and unlocks door for its owner stuck outside
- 全国新闻网站最新排名
- Two Pakistan boxers abscond in Birmingham after CWG
- How do you make safe, cheap nuclear reactors? Bury them a mile deep
- 12 Sculptures Made From Recycled Materials
- PETA criticized Google's Steve Irwin art and people are not happy
- Biden administration advised to recognize Singapore statement
- Sterling could not waste peak years at Man City
- Washington Mystics vs. Chicago Sky 2024 livestream: Watch live WNBA
- Teams final for Champions League play
- Watch these dudes expertly troll London Fashion Week
- Cat comes to the rescue and unlocks door for its owner stuck outside
-
21 Unexpected Wonders in Colorado’s Vibrant Cities and Small Towns
Between Colorado’s storied ranges, folded into its valleys and sprinkled across its plains, you’ll f ...[详细] -
Korea's Coast Guard stations 5,000
Korea's Coast Guard stationed its largest patrol vessel off Jeju Island to better guard its territor ...[详细] -
Young Chinese public officials visit Korea for exchanges with municipalities
A delegation of young Chinese public officials is visiting South Korea at the invitation of the Kore ...[详细] -
Ted Cruz issues China an epic eye roll, saying it can't tell the U.S. what to do
In a move sure to raise eyebrows in China, U.S. senator and former presidential hopeful Ted Cruz met ...[详细] -
I went to an offline dating event for singles. Here's how it went.
It's a Wednesday night in south-east London and dozens of intrepid young single people are sitting c ...[详细] -
Mumbai gets India's largest free public Wi
The Bollywood city is getting free Wi-Fi access.SEE ALSO:India is spending $530 million on a statue ...[详细] -
Wrestler Zaman ‘happy’ to be flag
KARACHI:Pakistan’s premier heavyweight wrestling champion Zaman Anwar and the 125kg silver med ...[详细] -
North Korea to hold marathon 'virtually'
Participants of the Pyongyang Marathon run down Mirae Scientists Street in the North Korean capital ...[详细] -
Flying spaghetti monster and unworldly life filmed in deep sea footage
Scientists discovered a giant underwater mountain. And it's teeming with deep sea life.An endeavor a ...[详细] -
雅安日报讯 正月十五元宵节即将到来,按照往常的习惯,又是一个烟花爆竹集中燃放的时节。为了不让你的爱车被烟花爆竹误伤,专业人士提醒广大有车族,切勿将车随意摆放。 “每年春节,我们楼下的车都有被鞭炮炸伤 ...[详细]
- 11 Telescopes Exploring The Magic of Space
- The BBC is launching a live 'Sherlock' mystery for you to solve on Twitter
- 'Monopoly' fans are voting to change the game's iconic tokens
- Xi congratulates Kim Jong
- US Open 2024 livestream: How to watch US Open tennis for free
- North Korea's rigid COVID
- Serena's intimidating aura still intact