World Chess Championship 2023

World Chess Championship 2023
St Regis Hotel, Astana, Kazakhstan
9–30 April 2023
 
  FIDE Ian Nepomniachtchi China Ding Liren
 
7 (1½)Scores7 (2½)
Game 1½49 move draw½
Game 21 29 moves0
Game 3½30 move draw½
Game 4047 moves 1
Game 51 48 moves0
Game 6044 moves 1
Game 71 37 moves0
Game 8½45 move draw½
Game 9½82 move draw½
Game 10½45 move draw½
Game 11½39 move draw½
Game 12038 moves 1
Game 13½40 move draw½
Game 14½90 move draw½
Tiebreak Game 15½35 move draw½
Tiebreak Game 16½47 move draw½
Tiebreak Game 17½33 move draw½
Tiebreak Game 18068 moves 1
  Born 14 July 1990
32 years old
Born 24 October 1992
30 years old
  Winner of the Candidates Tournament 2022 Runner-up of the Candidates Tournament 2022
  Rating: 2795
(World No. 2)
Rating: 2788
(World No. 3)
← 2021
2024 →

The World Chess Championship 2023 was a chess match between Ian Nepomniachtchi and Ding Liren to determine the new World Chess Champion. The match took place in Astana, Kazakhstan, from 9 April to 30 April 2023, and was a best of 14 games, plus tiebreaks.[1]

The previous champion Magnus Carlsen decided not to defend his title against Ian Nepomniachtchi, the winner of the Candidates Tournament 2022, stating he was "not motivated to play another match".[2][3] As a result, Nepomniachtchi played against Ding Liren, who finished second in the Candidates Tournament.

After a 7–7 score tie in the classical time format — in which five of the first seven games were decisive — on 30 April, the match proceeded to tiebreaks with rapid time format. After draws in the first three games, Ding won with black in the final game to become the 17th World Chess Champion.[4] Ding also became the first Chinese chess player to hold the title and, jointly with the 2020 women's world chess champion Ju Wenjun, made China the holder of both the open and women's world titles.[5]

Ding gained a place in the Candidates only because Sergey Karjakin, whom he replaced, was sanctioned for supporting the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Ding had been unable to play throughout much of the COVID-19 pandemic, however, and had to play a number of hastily arranged matches to reach the minimum FIDE activity requirements to secure his place in the tournament. Nepomniachtchi won the Candidates, but Ding secured second place by beating Hikaru Nakamura in a must-win final-round game. Carlsen then relinquished his title, allowing Ding to play for the title despite not winning the Candidates. Nepomniachtchi took the lead three times during the match, but Ding evened the score each time, forcing a tiebreak. After three draws in the rapid tiebreaks, Ding won the fourth game to take the championship. Ding's path to winning the title was called "most improbable" by The Guardian.[6][7]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference Astana2 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ FIDE announces qualification paths for Candidates Tournament 2022, FIDE, 25 May 2021
  3. ^ Doggers, Peter (20 July 2022). "Carlsen Not To Defend World Title". Chess.com. Retrieved 20 July 2022.
  4. ^ Parodi, Alessandro (1 May 2023). "Chess-China's Ding Liren defies odds to become world champion". Reuters.
  5. ^ "Ding Liren becomes first Chinese world chess champion". DW. 30 April 2023. Retrieved 30 April 2023.
  6. ^ "Ding Liren is the new World Chess Champion | The Week in Chess". theweekinchess.com.
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference :7 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).