Lili Marleen

On Tuesday, June 14, 2022 at 7.00 P.M. 北京时间 (Běijīng Time) Chinese Grandmaster and world No. 2 丁立人 (Dīng Lìrén) departed alone from 杭州萧山国际机场 (Hángzhōu Xiāoshān International Airport) bound for Madrid, Spain, to take part in the 2022 Candidates Tournament set to begin Friday. At first his presence was not contemplated, owing to China’s so-called “zero-COVID” policy — which in fact precluded him from playing abroad for almost two years. But fortunately for him, Russian Grandmaster Sergey Alexandrovich Karjakin — one of the eight candidates — was controversially disqualified by FIDE over his pro-Russia political views with regard to the Russo–Ukrainian war, and 丁立人 (Dīng Lìrén) was given a second chance. No doubt he, along with American-Italian Grandmaster Fabiano Caruana, enjoys the favour of the odds, and he also assures that he will not be lonely in his monastic solitude. “The situation is quite exceptional now”, 丁立人 (Dīng Lìrén) said before leaving. “In fact, for me it’s safer to go alone. The national team helped me get a visa, and my parents helped me pack my bags. Indeed, I will not fight alone, as there will be colleagues in China who will help me. Sorry, I can't reveal the details...”. Photo: 梁自明 (Liáng Zìmíng).