Given the stakes and the quality of the opposition, world chess championship matches — especially in the early rounds — tend to be cautious, risk-averse affairs.
Consider the last three title defenses of reigning world champion GM Magnus Carlsen of Norway, who is voluntarily stepping down after more than a decade as the champ. Carlsen’s overtime win over Russian GM Sergey Karjakin in 2016 featured just two decisive games in the 12 games played at classical time controls, and his overtime victory over American challenger GM Fabiano Caruana two years later notoriously saw all 12 classical games end in split points, before Carlsen again won a rapid playoff. Even Carlsen’s decisive victory over Russian GM Ian Nepomniachtchi in 2021 opened with five straight draws before the champ turned it on with four wins in the final six games.
Let us give thanks then that the scheduled 14-game FIDE world title match between Nepomniachtchi and Chinese star GM Ding Liren, now underway in Astana, Kazakhstan, is shattering the mold. A remarkable five of the first seven games have been decisive, and both players have landed haymakers with Nepo holding a 4-3 lead after winning Tuesday’s Game 7.
There’s been a curious mirror pattern to the play as well. After the Russian used a powerful exchange sacrifice in Game 2 to take an early lead, Ding responded with a Game 4 win that featured a crushing exchange sac of his own.
The exchange sacrifice — offering a rook for a minor piece — is such a reliable weapon in the modern grandmaster’s arsenal that kibitzers the world over were stunned by Black’s cavalier 28. Qf3 Nd4?? (g5 had to be played, though White retains an edge) 29. Rxd4! (of course — White’s knight and advanced pawns will dominate Black’s penned-in rooks in the ensuing play) exd4 30. Nb3 g5 31. Nxd4, and White’s game almost plays itself. In the final position, one way forward for White is 47… Rg8 48. Re1+ Kd7 49. Qf5+ Kc7 50. Qe6 Rg6 51. Qxg6 Qxg6 52. e8=Q, winning easily.
Games 5 (a bounceback win for the Russian) and 6 (a great counterpunch by Ding) also followed a similar pattern: In both games, Black faced annoying positional pressure out of the opening, found his pieces marooned on the wrong side of the board and fell victim to a powerful kingside mating attack in which White’s h-pawn played a critical role.
In the fifth game, Nepo as White hits on the unusual strategy of launching a pawn storm right in front of his castled king. Black has a cramped but playable game up until 35. Kf1 Rc8 36. Re4 Rb8?! 37. g5! hxg5 38. Rg4! Ra8 (Black realized too late that 38 … f6 39. Nh4! gxh4? 40. h6! is instantly winning for White) 39. Nxg5, and suddenly White’s attack is irresistible. Even a trade of queens doesn’t defang the White attack, as Nepo’s king marches up the board to join the fun.
In the final position, White wins in lines such as 48… Kg8 49. Kf5 Ra2 50. Kg6 Ra7 51. Rh5 Rc7 52. Ng5 b4 53. f7+; Ding resigned.
But the Chinese star played himself right back into the match with a marvelous Game 6 win — the first time the trendy London System (3. Bf4) made an appearance in a world championship match.
White steadily increases his advantage with just one hiccup spotted by the silicon engines: 26. Bxc4 dxc4 27. h5? (see diagram) and now Black has the amazing drawing idea of 27 … Rxe5! 28. dxe5 Qd8!!, when there’s a perpetual after 29. hxg6 Qd1+ 30. Kh2 Qh5+ 31. Kg1 (Qh3? Qxd5+ 32. f4 Qxc5 and Black is better) Qd1+. One more Black mistake — 32 … Qxc3 offered some survival chances — allows White to weave his own kingside mating net, with Black’s pieces mere spectators in the defense.
Nice was 40. Ne7 Rf8 41. d5!, cutting off e6 as an escape square for the Black king in some lines. In the final position, mate is not far way for Black’s cornered king; e.g. 44 … Bxg6 45. hxg6+ Kh8 46. Qxg8+! Kxg8 47. Ra8 mate, or 44 … Qg5 45. Qxg8+! Kxg8 46. Ra8+ Kf7 and thanks to the earlier pawn push, 47. Rf8 is mate.
And just as we were going to print, wouldn’t you know that Nepomniachtchi would grab the lead right back with a fourth straight decisive result in Game 7, as the Chinese grandmaster lost his way in extreme time pressure in a complicated position and went down in 38 moves.
With seven games to go, Ding will have a chance with the White pieces to stage yet another comeback in Wednesday’s Game 8. We’ll have more action — and let’s hope some more fighting play like this — in next week’s column.
—-
Ding-Nepomniachtchi, FIDE World Championship Match, Game 4, Astana, Kazakhstan, April 2023
1. c4 Nf6 2. Nc3 e5 3. Nf3 Nc6 4. e3 Bb4 5. Qc2 Bxc3 6. bxc3 d6 7. e4 O-O 8. Be2 Nh5 9. d4 Nf4 10. Bxf4 exf4 11. O-O Qf6 12. Rfe1 Re8 13. Bd3 Bg4 14. Nd2 Na5 15. c5 dxc5 16. e5 Qh6 17. d5 Rad8 18. c4 b6 19. h3 Bh5 20. Be4 Re7 21. Qc3 Rde8 22. Bf3 Nb7 23. Re2 f6 24. e6 Nd6 25. Rae1 Nf5 26. Bxh5 Qxh5 27. Re4 Qh6 28. Qf3 Nd4 29. Rxd4 cxd4 30. Nb3 g5 31. Nxd4 Qg6 32. g4 fxg3 33. fxg3 h5 34. Nf5 Rh7 35. Qe4 Kh8 36. e7 Qf7 37. d6 cxd6 38. Nxd6 Qg8 39. Nxe8 Qxe8 40. Qe6 Kg7 41. Rf1 Rh6 42. Rd1 f5 43. Qe5+ Kf7 44. Qxf5+ Rf6 45. Qh7+ Ke6 46. Qg7 Rg6 47. Qf8 Black resigns.
Nepomniachtchi-Ding, FIDE World Championship, Game 5, Astana, Kazakhstan, April 2023
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. d3 b5 7. Bb3 d6 8. c3 O-O 9. h3 Bb7 10. a4 Na5 11. Ba2 c5 12. Bg5 h6 13. Bxf6 Bxf6 14. axb5 axb5 15. Nbd2 Nc6 16. Bd5 Rxa1 17. Qxa1 Qd7 18. Re1 Ra8 19. Qd1 Bd8 20. Nf1 Ne7 21. Bxb7 Qxb7 22. Ne3 Bb6 23. h4 Qc6 24. h5 c4 25. d4 exd4 26. Nxd4 Qc5 27. Qg4 Qe5 28. Nf3 Qe6 29. Nf5 Nxf5 30. exf5 Qf6 31. Qe4 Rb8 32. Re2 Bc5 33. g4 Qd8 34. Qd5 Kf8 35. Kf1 Rc8 36. Re4 Rb8 37. g5 hxg5 38. Rg4 Ra8 39. Nxg5 Ra1+ 40. Ke2 Qe7+ 41. Ne4 Qe8 42. Kf3 Qa8 43. Qxa8+ Rxa8 44. f6 g6 45. hxg6 fxg6 46. Rxg6 Ra2 47. Kg4 Rxb2 48. Rh6 Black resigns.
Ding-Nepomniachtchi, FIDE World Championship, Game 6, Astana, Kazakhstan, April 2023
1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 d5 3. Bf4 c5 4. e3 Nc6 5. Nbd2 cxd4 6. exd4 Bf5 7. c3 e6 8. Bb5 Bd6 9. Bxd6 Qxd6 10. O-O O-O 11. Re1 h6 12. Ne5 Ne7 13. a4 a6 14. Bf1 Nd7 15. Nxd7 Qxd7 16. a5 Qc7 17. Qf3 Rfc8 18. Ra3 Bg6 19. Nb3 Nc6 20. Qg3 Qe7 21. h4 Re8 22. Nc5 e5 23. Rb3 Nxa5 24. Rxe5 Qf6 25. Ra3 Nc4 26. Bxc4 dxc4 27. h5 Bc2 28. Nxb7 Qb6 29. Nd6 Rxe5 30. Qxe5 Qxb2 31. Ra5 Kh7 32. Rc5 Qc1+ 33. Kh2 f6 34. Qg3 a5 35. Nxc4 a4 36. Ne3 Bb1 37. Rc7 Rg8 38. Nd5 Kh8 39. Ra7 a3 40. Ne7 Rf8 41. d5 a2 42. Qc7 Kh7 43. Ng6 Rg8 44. Qf7 Black resigns.
Nepomniachtchi-Ding, FIDE World Championship, Game 7, Astana, Kazakhstan, April 2023
1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nd2 c5 4. Ngf3 cxd4 5. Nxd4 Nf6 6. exd5 Nxd5 7. N2f3 Be7 8. Bc4 Nc6 9. Nxc6 bxc6 10. O-O O-O 11. Qe2 Bb7 12. Bd3 Qc7 13. Qe4 Nf6 14. Qh4 c5 15. Bf4 Qb6 16. Ne5 Rad8 17. Rae1 g6 18. Bg5 Rd4 19. Qh3 Qc7 20. b3 Nh5 21. f4 Bd6 22. c3 Nxf4 23. Bxf4 Rxf4 24. Rxf4 Bxe5 25. Rh4 Rd8 26. Be4 Bxe4 27. Rhxe4 Rd5 28. Rh4 Qd6 29. Qe3 h5 30. g3 Bf6 31. Rc4 h4 32. gxh4 Rd2 33. Re2 Rd3 34. Qxc5 Rd1+ 35. Kg2 Qd3 36. Rf2 Kg7 37. Rcf4 Qxc3 and Black resigns.
• David R. Sands can be reached at 202/636-3178 or by email at dsands@washingtontimes.com.
• David R. Sands can be reached at dsands@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.