THE PLAYERS
Nepomniachtchi
LIREN
Since 2007
Since 2009
Due to the pandemic and online chess boom, most of their recent games happened on Internet, with balanced results. The last classical game between the two was played at the Candidates Tournament 2022 and ended in a draw. In the first part of the event, Ian Nepomniachtchi developed an imaginative attack and won with Black in 32 moves.
STANDARD CHESS
STANDARD CHESS
(and 9 draws)
RAPID
RAPID
BLITZ
BLITZ
(and 2 draws)
ONLINE EVENTS
ONLINE EVENTS
Ian Nepomniachtchi
Ian Nepomniachtchi is back to fight for the chess crown after winning the FIDE Candidates Tournament for the second time in a row, repeating Vasily Smyslov’s feat from 1956. ‘Nepo’ did it in style, securing first place in Madrid-2022 with a round to spare and proving that losing the World Championship Match to Magnus Carlsen 3½-7½ did not stop him in his tracks.
Nepomniachtchi learned to play chess at the age of four from his grandfather. Raised in a family of teachers, he has always been curious by nature and had a wide range of interests. He was a prodigy, and not only in chess: he also won several student merit awards and medals, alongside his numerous titles in youth chess competitions. Nepomniachtchi graduated as a journalist from the Russian State Social University. Ian, under the nickname ‘FrostNova’, also played the video game Dota 2 at a competitive level but chose chess as his primary career path.
Grandmaster since 2007, Nepomniachtchi is now at the pinnacle of his career. In February 2023, he reached the world’s #2 position, and his current rating of 2795 is his highest. Combined with invaluable previous match experience, he’s all geared up for another attempt to win the chess crown.
Ding Liren
The strongest Chinese player in history, Ding Liren, was born in 1992 in Wenzhou, the hometown of China’s first Grandmaster, Ye Rongguang, and the former Women’s World Chess Champion Zhu Chen. His talent became evident at an early age. Guided by experienced coaches from his native “chess city”, he became the youngest-ever Chinese champion at 16 and a Grandmaster in the same year, 2009. He also won two back-to-back national titles in 2011 and 2012.
At the same time, Ding Liren broke into the top-100 rating list in 78th place with 2664. Only four years later, in August 2015, he stormed into top-10 with 2770. In September 2017, Ding became the first Chinese player to qualify for a Candidates Tournament by reaching the World Cup final. A year later he broke the 2800 barrier, the first Chinese and the 14th player ever to do so, and rose to #4 in the world. He has climbed as high as #2 since then and currently occupies third position in the rating list.
Ding’s resilience is proven by an unprecedented 100-game unbeaten streak he held in 2017-2018, broken only by Carlsen in 2019. Tough at the board, he is modest and soft-spoken in real life, a trait that won fans’ hearts.
