The 2023 World Chess Championship has come to a close, with Ding Liren securing the title and taking the crown from Magnus Carlsen. Here is everything you need to know about the tournament.
Chinese GM Ding Liren is the new world champion after defeating Russian GM Ian Nepomniachtchi in the final rapid tie-break game following a 7-7 stalemate in a classical match. Ding Liren takes over from Magnus Carlsen, who decided to give up his title after ten years as world champion.
Ding Liren, who was ranked third in the world heading into this match, is the 17th world champion. With this victory, he earns €1.1 million, 55 percent of the total prize pool.
Ding Liren is the 2023 FIDE World Champion! 🏆♟️👏Ding prevailed over Ian Nepomniachtchi in the last rapid tie-break game of one of the most exciting and dramatic matches in chess history. #NepoDing pic.twitter.com/WB7oaiLOXG
— International Chess Federation (@FIDE_chess) April 30, 2023
The World Chass Championship kicked off on April 7 with the opening ceremony, though the first game was only played on April 9. The match took place at the St. Regis hotel, located in the heart of Kazakhstan’s capital, Astana. The closing ceremony is scheduled for May 1.
2023 World Chess Championship: Match score
Tiebreaker:
- Ian Nepomniachtchi: 1.5
- Ding Liren: 2.5
Classical:
- Ian Nepomniachtchi: 7
- Ding Liren: 7
2023 World Chess Championship: Players
The two contenders that battled for the title of the best chess player in the world were Ian Nepomniachtchi of Russia and Ding Liren of China.
With Carlsen abdicating his title, the match was played between the winner and the runner-up of the Candidates tournament.
This was the second time that Nepomniachtchi played for the title of world champion. In 2021, he lost the world championship match in Dubai to Carlsen 7.5-3.5.
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Liren, 29, is the highest-rated Chinese player in history and is currently ranked third in the world, behind Carlsen and Nepomniachtchi. Heading into the world championship match, Nepomniachtchi had an Elo rating of 2795, with Liren just behind him, with a rating of 2788.
When it comes to the head-to-head record between the two players, Nepomniachtchi had a slight edge, with three victories, two losses and nine draws in classical games. If you include rapid and blitz games, the Russian GM’s lead increases to 11-5, with 11 draws.
2023 World Chess Championship: Prize
The International Chess Federation (FIDE) is providing a prize pool of 2 million euros ($2.17 million USD) net of any applicable local taxes. The partner of the event will be Freedom Holding Corp, a US-based corporation listed on NASDAQ that provides financial services.
With a tie-break needed, the prize pool was split 55%-45%, with Liren earning €1.1 million and Nepomniachtchi pocketing €900,000.
2023 World Chess Championship: Why didn’t Carlsen play?
Norwegian chess prodigy Magnus Carlsen, the reigning five-time World Chess Champion, first stated in 2021 that he would not defend his title unless he faced Alireza Firouzja, the 19-year-old Iranian-French sensation.
Firouzja ended up finishing the 2022 Candidates Tournament, in Madrid, in sixth place.
In July 2022, Carlsen confirmed on a podcast episode that he would not defend his title.
After five world championship titles, Carlsen simply does not enjoy these matches anymore. “I don’t rule out participation in the future, but I also wouldn’t count on it,” he said.