High Noon

With one day left before the start of the World Chess Championship Match, it is time for the nerds of the world to make their bets. The World Chess Champion and world No. 1, Magnus Carlsen of Norway, abdicated his crown to preserve his immortality, leaving two common mortals, 丁立人 (Dīng Lìrén) of China and Ian Alexandrovich Nepomniachtchi of Russia, the honour of wearing his royal insignia. Pretty soon, therefore, men will join women in the FIDE pantheon, featuring a Man Champion and a Woman Champion who aren’t the strongest players in the world, for he, Magnus Carlsen, and she, 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán), will continue to top the ranks for an indefinite time to come. Perhaps it’s not so surprising that the monarchy (queen and king) may be, by its own nature, intolerant and dislike collectivistic organisations such as FIDE. But what is certain is that 丁立人 (Dīng Lìrén) and Nepomniachtchi have the heavy responsibility of showing the world that even common mortals can make impossible things seem real. Sure enough, it won’t be easy. The stage is set in the heart of Eurasia (Kazakhstan), and most of the sponsors and partners are Eurasiatic. Yet what is at stake in this match is much more than a crown or national prestige. They both prepared for best and worst. Although many details are not known, it is reported that 丁立人 (Dīng Lìrén), in an unprecedented move, appointed Hungarian Grandmaster Richárd Rapport as his second, and not one of his compatriots, such as almost invariably occurs when Chinese players compete in international contests. Stylistically speaking, Rapport is the exact opposite of 丁立人 (Dīng Lìrén), which (at least in line of principle) should constitute an ideal 阴阳 (yīnyáng) and contribute to the creative growth of Chinese Grandmaster. On his part, Nepomniachtchi, faithful to the axiom “never change a winning team”, confirmed Nikita Kirillovich Vitiugov as his squire.
As they say, may the best win!