Russian draws first blood in world title match
Russia’s Ian Nepomniachtchi has scored a victory over China’s Ding Liren in the second game of the 14-game match for the title of world chess champion at the St. Regis Hotel in Astana, Kazakhstan. The first game on Sunday ended in a draw.
Nepomniachtchi defeated Ding in Game 2 in just 29 moves despite having the black pieces, which is considered a small disadvantage in professional chess. Ding attempted to surprise his opponent with an unusual move in the opening (4. h3), but Nepomniachtchi kept his composure. With months to prepare for a match, players often to attempt to spring opening surprises that are the result of extensive analysis.
When Ding eschewed a more natural continuation and opted for a very sharp line on move 12, the Russian was able to build up a powerful kingside attack. Running out of time and in a hopeless position, Ding threw in the towel after Nepomniachtchi’s move pawn to e5, attacking his opponent’s rook and threatening to queen his pawn on the c2 square.
Decisive games are often few and far between in world championship matches. The last rendition of the event, held in Dubai in 2021 between reigning world champion Magnus Carlsen and Nepomniachtchi, saw the first five games end in draws before Carlsen notched a victory in a marathon Game 6, which ran for nearly eight hours. The 2018 title match between Carlsen and American challenger Fabiano Caruana did not feature a single decisive game – all 12 ended in draws and the winner was decided in the ensuing tiebreak at shorter time controls.
The 2023 match consists of 14 games at classical time controls, with each player receiving 120 minutes for the first 40 moves, 60 minutes for the next 20 moves, and 15 minutes for the rest of the game, with 30 seconds added per move starting with move 61.
Tuesday is a rest day and the action will resume on Wednesday with Nepomniachtchi playing with the white pieces.
