Ding Becomes Champion
Ian NepomniachtchivsDing Liren
FIDE World Chess Championship 2023 Rapid TiebreakAstana KAZ20230-1C84
Ding Liren and Ian Nepomniachtchi finished fourteen classical games of the 2023 World Championship in Astana tied at 7 to 7, and three rapid tiebreak games failed to separate them either. Game four, then, decided the title outright, with Nepomniachtchi holding White in a Ruy Lopez closed defence.
Nepomniachtchi pushed hard for a win, sacrificing a pawn to keep pressure going, but Ding defended precisely and his queenside pawns, in particular runners on c4 and then c3 and c2, gradually became the deciding factor rather than any single tactic. Nepomniachtchi resigned on move 68 in a position where Ding's connected passed pawns and safer king left him without hope.
Ding became the seventeenth World Chess Champion and the first player from China to hold the classical title, completing an improbable qualification story (he had entered the Candidates tournament as a late replacement after Sergey Karjakin's ban from the previous cycle) with a run that few observers had predicted at the start of the match.
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| 1. | e4📖 | e5📖 |
| 2. | Nf3📖 | Nc6📖 |
| 3. | Bb5📖 | 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★ |
| 12. | Nc3★ | Rb8★ |
| 13. | Bb1★ | Qe8 |
| 14. | b3★ | c5★ |
| 15. | Nxa4★ | Nc6★ |
| 16. | Nc3 | a5 |
| 17. | Nd2★ | Be6★ |
| 18. | Nc4★ | d5 |
| 19. | exd5★ | Nxd5★ |
| 20. | Bd2?! | Nxc3 |
| 21. | Bxc3! | Bxc4★ |
| 22. | bxc4★ | Bd8 |
| 23. | Bd2★ | Bc7 |
| 24. | c3★ | f5★ |
| 25. | Re1 | Rd8 |
| 26. | Ra2 | Qg6★ |
| 27. | Qe2 | Qd6 |
| 28. | g3★ | Rde8 |
| 29. | Qf3 | e4 |
| 30. | dxe4★ | Ne5★ |
| 31. | Qg2★ | Nd3 |
| 32. | Bxd3 | Qxd3! |
| 33. | exf5★ | Rxe1+! |
| 34. | Bxe1! | Qxc4★ |
| 35. | Ra1 | Rxf5★ |
| 36. | Bd2★ | h6 |
| 37. | Qc6 | Rf7 |
| 38. | Re1★ | Kh7★ |
| 39. | Be3 | Be5 |
| 40. | Qe8 | Bxc3★ |
| 41. | Rc1★ | Rf6! |
| 42. | Qd7 | Qe2!! |
| 43. | Qd5 | Bb4★ |
| 44. | Qe4+★ | Kg8★ |
| 45. | Qd5+★ | Kh7★ |
| 46. | Qe4+★ | Rg6 |
| 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+ |
| 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★ |
Critical moments
42... Qe2Brilliance
Black played Qe2!! A winning sacrifice.
48. h4Missed win
White played h4, a 16% win probability loss
59. Qc7Missed win
White played Qc7, a 18% win probability loss
60... c2Brilliance
Black played c2!! A winning sacrifice.
The moves
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 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 12. Nc3 Rb8 13. Bb1 Qe8 14. b3 c5 15. Nxa4 Nc6 16. Nc3 a5 17. Nd2 Be6 18. Nc4 d5 19. exd5 Nxd5 20. Bd2 Nxc3 21. Bxc3 Bxc4 22. bxc4 Bd8 23. Bd2 Bc7 24. c3 f5 25. Re1 Rd8 26. Ra2 Qg6 27. Qe2 Qd6 28. g3 Rde8 29. Qf3 e4 30. dxe4 Ne5 31. Qg2 Nd3 32. Bxd3 Qxd3 33. exf5 Rxe1+ 34. Bxe1 Qxc4 35. Ra1 Rxf5 36. Bd2 h6 37. Qc6 Rf7 38. Re1 Kh7 39. Be3 Be5 40. Qe8 Bxc3 41. Rc1 Rf6 42. Qd7 Qe2 43. Qd5 Bb4 44. Qe4+ Kg8 45. Qd5+ Kh7 46. Qe4+ Rg6 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+ 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 0-1