Ding Ties Match After Six Games With Attacking London

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Does chess have a “draw problem” at the highest level? Proponents of this argument will cite the 2018 match between GM Magnus Carlsen and GM Fabiano Caruana, which the former won in tiebreaks after 12 consecutive draws. But, more generally, they would argue, it is hard to muster up excitement for a match where the majority of the games end peacefully.

Indeed, the last time a world championship match could boast more than four decisive results was back in 2010, when GM Viswanathan Anand defeated GM Veselin Topalov 6½ - 5½ winning the final, and fifth decisive, game of the match. Carlsen’s 2013 match against Anand consisted of four decisive results in 11 games (three for Carlsen), and Carlsen’s win over GM Ian Nepomniachtchi last year also boasted four wins (all for Carlsen).

Ding admitted he was still deciding what opening to play until he got to the board (courtesy Stev Bonhage/FIDE)

Entering the third rest day of the 2023 FIDE World Championship, Nepomniachtchi and GM Ding Liren have earned two wins apiece, making for four decisive results in a mere six games. Classical chess is back, baby!

Surely, such unusual fireworks would be due to explosive, confrontational opening preparation? With Ding playing as white once again and his second GM Richard Rapport notorious for preparing off-beat variations, spectators were likely disappointed when Ding elected to open with the much-maligned London System. This opening gets a reputation for dull play, as White plays conservatively in the center and avoids direct confrontation.

A relatable face to anybody who has played against the London System (courtesy David Llada/FIDE)

After yesterday’s loss, Ding had said in the press conference that he was particularly disappointed because he did not think he was playing (or feeling) poorly until he realized too late how much danger he was in. Perhaps his goal for today was to play for a simple draw and regain his composure on the next rest day?

Fast forward three hours, and world-class grandmasters across multiple commentary streams were speechless, realizing that Ding’s odd-seeming 41. d5!?! (which many engines called a mistake!) set up an absolutely genius mating net to close out an excellently played rebound game marked by superb accuracy and creativity. The game was also an odd mirror of the previous round, with White once again expanding on the kingside with a pawn moving from h2-h4-h5 and demonstrating the power of a queen-knight tandem in the ensuing attack.

Ding was all smiles after the game, suggesting that the low draw rate in this match is due to neither player having Magnus's level of professionalism (courtesy David Llada/FIDE)

Ding admitted after the game that he chose to play the London in part because he was not settled on what to play until right before the game, and that he elected to play for flexibility over an objective advantage. Nepomniachtchi elected to defend rather passively, and, as is often the case for the temperamental Russian, he moved quickly and with great commitment in several key moments, missing at least one chance to neutralize Ding’s advantage in the process.

With eight games remaining, the match is once again tied. It is impossible to predict what will happen next, but for the sake of entertainment, hopefully the two challengers can continue exchanging blows.

The king of calculation was back, ending the game with a problem-like finish (courtesy Stev Bonhage/FIDE)

Today's annotations come from WGM Jennifer Yu. Yu is the reigning U.S. Women’s Chess Champion, having won her first U.S. Women’s title in 2019 at the age of 17. Her 2019 performance went down in history after scoring nine wins (and two draws) across 11 undefeated games. Yu is also the reigning U.S. Girls Junior Champion, having won the event in tiebreaks. Ironically, this was her first U.S. Juniors win, in her last year of eligibility, three years after winning her first U.S. Women’s Championship. Yu currently attends Harvard University, and is projected to graduate in the class of 2025.

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