Ding Liren became China’s first world chess champion in 2023 before hitting one of the most inexplicable slumps the game has ever seen. Now he’s locked in a tense battle to defend his crown.

“Ding Liren is the pride of China.” The match had been overshadowed from the start by the absence of Magnus Carlsen, the Norwegian grandmaster who had held the world title since 2013.

Ding made a one-move blunder late in Game 14, which handed Gukesh the title-winning point and prevented tiebreakers. Ding Liren (R) and Gukesh Dommaraju compete in Game 1 on November 25, 2024.

Ding-Nepomniachtchi, FIDE World Championship Match, Game 12, Astana, Kazakhstan, April 2023 1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 d5 3. e3 c5 4. Nbd2 cxd4 5. exd4 Qc7 6. c3 Bd7 7. Bd3 Nc6 8. O-O Bg4 9. Re1 e6 10. Nf1 ...

In a post-match press conference, Gukesh said spotting Ding’s blunder “was probably the best moment of my life”. The road to the title Ding became world champion in 2023 after an unlikely ...

Dommaraju unseated China's Ding Liren to become the new world chess champion. "Every chess player wants to experience this moment, and very few get the chance," Dommaraju said after the match.

Chess - FIDE World Championship Match 2023 - Game 14 - Astana, Kazakhstan - April 29, 2023. Ding Liren of China competes against Ian Nepomniachtchi of International Chess Federation.

India’s Gukesh Dommaraju and r eigning world champion Ding Liren of China have tied their fourth match of the ongoing World Chess Championship final with the overall score level at 2-2 in Singapore.

Ding Liren and challenger D Gukesh are tied at three points each in the World Chess Championship. Ding aims to stretch the match to tie-breaks due to his strength in faster formats, while Gukesh's ...

[1/2]Chess - FIDE World Championship Match 2023 - Game 8 - Astana, Kazakhstan - April 20, 2023. Ding Liren of China competes against Ian Nepomniachtchi of International Chess Federation.