Last But Not Least

Apparently, Grandmaster and former challenger for the World Chess Championship Sergey Alexandrovich Karjakin is among the few people who give 丁立人 (Dīng Lìrén) still a chance, in spite of his disastrous performance in the first half of the Candidates Tournament, which was mostly due to his too many quarantines (before leaving China and on his arrival in Russia). Answering to a question by Sputnik Chinese News Agency at yesterday’s press conference, Karjakin said: “Today, there are several outstanding Grandmasters in China, especially 丁立人 (Dīng Lìrén). He could very well be one of the most dangerous opponents to Carlsen in a near future. However, the first half of the Tournament went badly for him. Objectively speaking, starting the second half with a two-point deficit (that’s the gap with the two leaders), makes his chances of winning quite slim. But miracles are always possible. Much will depend upon how he prepared it. There will hopefully be wildly exciting games, with a fight still going on”.