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Ding Liren has beaten Ian Nepomniachtchi of Russia to become the 17th World Chess Champion, the first Chinese to become the FIDE World Champion. The closely fought match went down to a nail-biting rapid tiebreaker after a 7-7 draw. The win also saw the decade-long reign of chess icon Magnus Carlsen at an end, with the Norwegian losing the title for the first time since 2013.
The match was live-streamed on Twitch and other online portals for the world to watch, and chess enthusiasts welcomed Liren as the new World Champion with much fanfare. One Redditor noted how Ding Liren maintained his calm and composure throughout the 14 grueling matches to clinch the title, dubbing him "Ding Chilling." The Redditor wrote:
"The absolute mental fortitude from Ding, holy sh*t. Definitely Ding Chilling."
Ding Liren becomes the first Chinese FIDE World Champion after defeating Ian Nepomniachtchi in Astana
As mentioned, the match was closely fought with 14 straight rounds of classical chess. However, the two GMs could not be separated and were in a 7-7 deadlock after Ding Liren and Ian Nepomniachtchi won three games each, tying the other eight.
So close was the fight for the title of World Champion that even the rapid tiebreaker went till the fourth game before the deadlock was broken, with Ding emerging as the victor.
The game had a prize pool of €2 million which is approximately 2.2 million USD. Ding Liren will take home about €1.1 million, with Ian Nepomniachtchi getting €900,000.
Social Media Reactions to Liren's Win
Fans and chess enthusiasts worldwide tuned in to watch the two highly-rated players duke it for the title of World Champion. They were thrilled as Ding Liren won the 2023 Classical World Chess Championship in Astana, unseating Magnus Carlsen.
Many fans quickly noted that he is the first Chinese player to ever hold the title, with some predicting a growth in the game's popularity in the country following Liren's win.
Others noted that considering the current Women's World Chess Champion is Ju Wenjun, who also hails from China, both the titles are currently held by the country.
Some Redditors also drew attention to the fact that Magnus Carlsen was still the best-rated chess player in the and had decided not to defend his title of World Champion last year after holding it for a decade. Some even called the title hollow, considering he is still around.
