Dragonite

丁立人 (Dīng Lìrén) – 赵骏 (Zhào Jùn)

4th FIDE World Rapid Team Championship; Dragon Chilling – Interstellar Club; time control: 15 minutes plus 10 seconds per move; 香港 (Hong Kong), June 19, 2026

Queen’s Gambit Declined D37

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Nbd7 5. Bf4 dxc4 6. e3 a6 7. a4 Nb6 8. a5 Nbd5 9. Bxc4 Nxf4 10. exf4 Bd6 11. Ne5 0-0 12. 0-0 Bd7 13. Qf3. 13. Qb3 Rb8 14. f5 b5 15. Bxe6?! (15. axb6 Rxb6 16. Qa2⩲) 15. ... Be8! won a Pawn, but gave Black too much play in Rönkä – Kekki, 78th Finnish Chess Championship, Helsinki 2016.
13. ... Rb8 14. Rad1 b5 15. axb6 Rxb6 16. b3 Bb4? (16. ... Qa8 17. Nxd7 Nxd7 18. Ne4⩲)

17. d5! exd5? The losing mistake. After 17. ... Bxc3 18. Nxd7 (18. dxe6!? Bxe5 19. exf7+ Kh8 20. fxe5 is also attractive) 18. ... Nxd7 19. Qxc3 exd5 20. Rxd5 Qc8 21. Re1 White is clearly better, but the game is far from over.
18. Nxd5 Nxd5 19. Qxd5 Rd6 20. Nxf7 1–0. For after 20. ... Rxd5 21. Nxd8 White wins at least the Exchange.

丁立人 (Dīng Lìrén) is back on top after a long sabbatical leave! Photo: Michał Walusza/FIDE.

Uncle Vanya Goes East

丁立人 (Dīng Lìrén), the only one World Chess Champion from China, appeared as a guest of honour at the T-Bank’s seminar “One Move Ahead” in Moscow, Russia, on Monday, March 17, 2025, in which he advocated the importance of chess as a means to develop strategic thinking and problem-solving skills.
In the free time, 丁立人 (Dīng Lìrén) gave a long interview to Sport24, in which, once again, he vindicated his affection for Moscow, “where I’ve been so many times that I can’t recollect”.
The interview conveys a portrait of 丁立人 (Dīng Lìrén) as cultured and sensitive, questing for meanings and spiritual growth while wandering in and around the Moscow Metro stations of the Soviet era. With a thought for Boris Vasilievich Spassky, the king who did not want to become king and who was rejected as king by Caïssa. “His death deeply upset me”, said 丁立人 (Dīng Lìrén). “The more I read of him, the more I recognise myself in him”.
Finally, he is an avid reader of literature, not only Chinese, but Russian as well. “I really like Chekhov’s Uncle Vanya — a masterpiece”.

On the occasion, 丁立人 (Dīng Lìrén) was accompanied by a dedicated interpreter: Woman Grandmaster 谷笑冰 (Gǔ Xiàobīng). Photo: Chess Federation of Russia.

The Unbearable Lightness of Being

Much thanks to Ulises for sharing his information about a Reddit user who “regularly post updates about 丁立人 (Dīng Lìrén) and translates content from Chinese sources”.
Inevitably, the death of 10th World Chess Champion Boris Vasilievich Spassky, is uppermost in the heart of 丁立人 (Dīng Lìrén), who, on his 新浪微博 (Sina Wēibó) microblogging account, commented on his illustrious predecessor’s passing with a melancholic reflection upon the meaning of life:

“It may be a consolation to know that, when one dies, one will be known and loved again...”.

Arch of Triumph

片尾字幕 (Closing credits)

Coming Home

丁立人 (Dīng Lìrén)’s warm reception upon his return to China after losing the World Chess Championship title to Dommaraju Gukesh: “丁立人 (Dīng Lìrén), welcome back home!”. Photo: 梁志华 (Liáng Zhìhuá).

Final Analysis

Escape from Hat

丁立人 (Dīng Lìrén) – Dommaraju Gukesh
World Chess Championship 2024; match game 14; Sentosa, December 12, 2024
Queen’s Pawn Game D02

1. Nf3 d5 2. g3 c5 3. Bg2 Nc6 4. d4 e6 5. 0-0 cxd4 6. Nxd4 Nge7 7. c4 Nxd4 8. Qxd4 Nc6 9. Qd1 d4 10. e3 Bc5 11. exd4 Bxd4 12. Nc3 0-0 13. Nb5 Bb6 14. b3 a6 15. Nc3 Bd4 16. Bb2 e5 17. Qd2 Be6 18. Nd5 b5 19. cxb5 axb5 20. Nf4 exf4 21. Bxc6 Bxb2 22. Qxb2 Rb8 23. Rfd1 Qb6 24. Bf3 fxg3 25. hxg3 b4 26. a4 bxa3 27. Rxa3 g6 28. Qd4 Qb5 29. b4 Qxb4 30. Qxb4 Rxb4 31. Ra8 Rxa8 32. Bxa8 g5 33. Bd5 Bf5 34. Rc1 Kg7 35. Rc7 Bg6 36. Rc4 Rb1+ 37. Kg2 Re1 38. Rb4 h5 39. Ra4 Re5 40. Bf3 Kh6 41. Kg1 Re6 42. Rc4 g4 43. Bd5 Rd6 44. Bb7 Kg5 45. f3 f5 46. fxg4 hxg4 47. Rb4 Bf7 48. Kf2 Rd2+ 49. Kg1 Kf6 50. Rb6+ Kg5 51. Rb4 Be6 52. Ra4 Rb2 53. Ba8 Kf6 54. Rf4 Ke5

55. Rf2?? Apparently oblivious to the Bishop that is stuck at a8, 丁立人 (Dīng Lìrén) commits an awful, melodramatic blunder, by which he throws away both the crown of Caïssa as well as the burden of wearing it. Whether his mistake was deliberate or not, however, is irrelevant for the compilers of the roll of honour: Gukesh is the new World Champion, the youngest ever in chess history!
55. ... Rxf2 56. Kxf2 Bd5! That’s the point. If White could avoid the exchange of Bishops, a draw would still be certain and inevitable.
57. Bxd5 Kxd5 58. Ke3 Ke5 0–1.

“I was totally in shock when I realized I made a blunder”, 丁立人 (Dīng Lìrén) said. “His facial expression showed that he is very happy, excited. It took some time to realize it. Otherwise, it’s not so easy to talk. Maybe I should just wait... So yeah, no game tomorrow”. Photo: Maria Alekseevna Emelianova.

韓達拉 (Handala)

Dommaraju Gukesh – 丁立人 (Dīng Lìrén)
World Chess Championship 2024; match game 13; Sentosa, December 11, 2024
French Defence C11

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. e5 Nfd7 5. Nce2. In place of 5. f4 as in the match game 1.
5. ... c5 6. c3 Nc6 7. a3 Be7 8. Be3 Nb6 9. Nf4 cxd4 10. cxd4 Nc4 11. Bxc4 dxc4 12. Nge2. 12. Qg4 might have been better for attacking purpose, but afterwards Gukesh said he didn’t realise it.
12. ... b5 13. 0-0 0-0 14. Nc3 Rb8 15. Nh5 f5 16. exf6 Bxf6

17. Qf3. An interesting conversation occurred between the two combatants in the post-game press conference as they were analysing 17. Nxf6+ Qxf6 18. d5 exd5 19. Qxd5+ Qe6: “I didn’t really see anything special”, said Gukesh; and 丁立人 (Dīng Lìrén): “20.Rfd1 I think you are slightly better here”.
17. ... Qe8. 丁立人 (Dīng Lìrén) then regarded 17. ... Nxd4 18. Nxf6+ Rxf6 19. Qd1 e5! 20. Bg5 Bf5 as a potentially better line of play for Black.
18. Nxf6+ Rxf6 19. Qe2 Qg6 20. f3 Rf8 21. Rad1 Ne7

22. Bf4. “I had seen earlier that (when) he plays ... Nc6-e7 I have Be3-f4, a nice trick. I thought once I get Bf4-d6, I should have quite a nice advantage which probably was the case”, Gukesh said. “But I couldn’t see the knockout blow. Maybe there wasn’t one”.
22. ... Rb6 23. Bc7 Rb7 24. Bd6 Re8 25. Bxe7. “I didn’t think allowing ... Ne7-d5 was a great idea. I will still be better but I thought with the Knight on d5 yes, his defensive chances are better”, said Gukesh.
25. ... Rexe7 26. Qe5 a6 27. d5 exd5 28. Qxd5+ Qe6 29. Qc5 Re8 30. Rde1 Qf7? A mistake that could cost 丁立人 (Dīng Lìrén) dearly. Black had to give up the Queen for two Rooks: 30. ... Qxe1! 31. Rxe1 Rxe1+ 32. Kf2 Re5 33. Ne4 Rbe7 34. Nd6 Re5!= (35. Qc7 can be answered by 35. ... R5e7 and 35. Qc6 by 35. ... R5e6).
31. Ne4? Too much haste to deliver the “knockout blow”. Better first 31. Rxe8+ Rxe8 and then 32. Ne4, leaving Black resourceless.

“My first intention was to play 31. ... Rc7 after 31. Ne4 runs into a very nice check 32. Nf6+! I almost gave up. I didn’t find any move to survive, to stay in the game. In the end I found a nice resource 31. ... Rf8”, 丁立人 (Dīng Lìrén) said.
31. ... Rf8! 32. Nd6 Rc7. “It was an unpleasant surprise”, Gukesh admitted. “I thought I could still press a bit, but I was hoping to get Queen-Rook with a three vs two Pawns endgame. Once the Queens are exchanged it’s just a draw”.
33. Qe5 Qf6 34. Qd5+ Kh8 35. Re5 Re7 36. Rfe1 Rxe5 37. Rxe5 h6 38. Qc5 Bd7 39. Ne4 Qf4 40. Re7 Bf5 41. Qd4 Rg8 42. h3 Qc1+ 43. Kf2 Bxe4 44. Rxe4 c3 45. bxc3 Qxa3 46. Kg3 Qb3 47. Re7 a5 48. Rb7 Qc4 49. Qe5 Qc6 50. Qxb5 Qxc3 51. Ra7 Qe1+ 52. Kh2 Qb4 53. Qxb4 axb4 54. Rb7 Ra8 55. Rxb4 Ra2 56. Kg3 Kh7 57. Rb5 Kg6 58. f4 Kf6 59. Kf3 Rc2 60. g3 Rc3+ 61. Kg4 Ra3 62. h4 Rc3 63. Rb6+ Kf7 64. f5 h5+ 65. Kf4 Rc4+ 66. Kf3 $0 $11 Rc3+ 67. Kf4 Rc4+ 68. Kf3 Rc3+ ½–½.

“Firstly, I am very tired after a long game”, 丁立人 (Dīng Lìrén) said eventually. “Secondly, I am yet to decide what's the strategy for the next game which is a Golden game”. Photo: Maria Alekseevna Emelianova.

Kiss of the Black Widow

丁立人 (Dīng Lìrén) – Dommaraju Gukesh
World Chess Championship 2024; match game 12; Sentosa, December 9, 2024
English Opening A13

1. c4 e6 2. g3 d5 3. Bg2 Nf6 4. Nf3 d4 5. 0-0 Nc6 6. e3 Be7 7. d3 dxe3 8. Bxe3 e5 9. Nc3 0-0 10. Re1 h6 11. a3 a5 12. h3 Be6 13. Kh2 Rb8. “13. ... Rb8 came as a surprise for me”, 丁立人 (Dīng Lìrén) said in the post-game press conference. “I was expecting 13. ... Qd7 I am going to play 14. Qb3 Rad8 if he can put his Queen on c8, I think his position is very solid. Maybe I can take here 15. Qxb7 Rb8 16. Qa6 Rxb2 my calculation stops here. I don’t know if White is better or not”.
14. Qc2 Re8. “Here is another critical moment”, said 丁立人 (Dīng Lìrén). “Maybe he can play 14. ... Nd4 15. Bxd4 exd4 to change the structure. I have maybe 16. Ne4 Nxe4 17. Rxe4 c5 maybe slightly easier to play for White... Maybe I should play 14. Nb5 already to stop ... Nc6-d4”.
15. Nb5 Bf5 16. Rad1 Nd7? Apparently Gukesh feels so much heavy responsibility after yesterday’s victory, actually too much for him. Better was 16. ... Bf8! 17. Qc3 Qc8 18. Nd2⩲ leaving White with only a slight edge.

17. Qd2! (Δ d3-d4)
17. ... Bg6?! This doesn’t solve Black’s problems, but if 17. ... Nc5 18. d4 Nd3 then 19. d5 Nxe1 20. Qxe1 Nd4 21. Nfxd4 exd4 22. Nxd4 Bg6 23. Qxa5 with two Pawns and a strong bind for the Exchange.
18. d4! e4. More or less forced because 18. ... exd4? 19. Bf4 would be disastrous for Black.
19. Ng1 Nb6 20. Qc3 Bf6. A little better may be 20. ... f5, after which White could continue, similarly to the game, with 21. f3 Bf6 22. fxe4 fxe4 23. Qc2 followed by Ng1-e2.
21. Qc2 a4 22. Ne2 Bg5? The “less worst” was perhaps 22. ... Na5, but then 23. c5 Nbc4 24. Nf4 Bf5 25. Bf1 would win at least a Pawn for White.

23. Nf4 Bxf4 24. Bxf4 Rc8 25. Qc3. Game over.
25. ... Nb8 26. d5! White’s advantage is so great that he can afford to snub 26. Na7 with the clear gain of an Exchange.
26. ... Qd7 27. d6 c5 28. Nc7 Rf8 29. Bxe4 Nc6 30. Bg2 Rcd8 31. Nd5 Nxd5 32. cxd5 Nb8 33. Qxc5 Rc8 34. Qd4 Na6 35. Re7 Qb5 36. d7 Rc4

37. Qe3. 37. Qxc4! Qxc4 38. Re8 was a most striking finish, but 丁立人 (Dīng Lìrén)’s solution isn’t bad either.
37. ... Rc2 38. Bd6 f6 39. Rxg7+! 1–0.

“It might be the best game I have played in recent times”, 丁立人 (Dīng Lìrén) finally said. Photo: Eng Chin An.

A Roll of the Dice

丁立人 (Dīng Lìrén) – Dommaraju Gukesh
World Chess Championship 2024; match game 10; Sentosa, December 7, 2024
Queen’s Gambit Declined D37

1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 d5 3. Bf4 e6 4. e3 c5 5. Be2 Bd6 6. dxc5 Bxc5 7. c4 0-0 8. 0-0 Nc6 9. Nc3 dxc4 10. Bxc4 Nh5 11. Bg5 Be7 12. Ne4 Nf6

13. Nxf6+. 13. Bxf6 should not make too much difference if handled correctly, which was not the case in the only game featured in the online databases: 13. ... Bxf6 (13. ... Qxd1) 14. Qc2 Be7 15. Rfd1 Qa5 16. a3 Rd8 17. Rxd8+ Qxd8 18. Rd1 Qc7 19. Neg5 g6 20. Qd3 Ne5 21. Nxe5 Qxe5 22. h4 Qxb2 23. Qe4 Qf6 24. a4 Qf5 25. Qd4 b6 26. g4 Qc5 27. Qf4 Bxg5 28. hxg5 Qf8? (28. ... Qe7) 29. Qc7+− Qc5 30. Rd8+ Kg7 31. Qf4 f5 32. gxf6+ Kf7 33. Rh8 1–0 Melkumyan – Šarić, 20th OIBM Open, Bad Wiessee 2016.
13. ... Bxf6 14. Qxd8. After the exchange of Queens the endgame stands more or less equal.
14. ... Rxd8 15. Bxf6 gxf6 16. Rfd1 Bd7 17. Rac1 Be8 18. Rxd8 Rxd8 19. Kf1 Kg7 20. a3 f5 21. Ke1 Kf6 22. Be2 Ne7 23. g3 Rc8 24. Rxc8 Nxc8 25. Nd2 Nd6 26. Nc4 Nxc4 27. Bxc4 Bc6 28. f4 b6 29. Kd2 Ke7 30. Kc3 Kd6 31. b4 f6 32. Kd4 h6 33. Bb3 Bb7 34. Bc4 Bc6 35. Bb3 Bb7 36. Bc4 Bc6 ½–½.

Another dull draw (the seventh straight one), but, with only four games left, “There’s no so much room to make mistakes, every lose will result in very bad situation”, 丁立人 (Dīng Lìrén) said. “We need to be careful with every move”. Photo: Eng Chin An.

Balance Point

Dommaraju Gukesh – 丁立人 (Dīng Lìrén)
World Chess Championship 2024; match game 9; Sentosa, December 5, 2024
Bogo-Indian Defence E11

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 Bb4+ 4. Bd2 Be7 5. Bg2 d5 6. Nf3 0-0 7. 0-0 c6 8. Qc2 Nbd7 9. Rd1 b6 10. Bc3 Bb7 11. Nbd2 Qc7 12. Rac1 Rfd8 13. b4

13. ... c5 14. bxc5 bxc5 15. Qb2 Nb6 16. Ba5 dxc4 17. Nxc4

17. ... Bxf3 “After the game my second told me that I can actually take here 17. ... Nxc4 18. Rxc4 Qxa5 19. Qxb7 — this is what I missed when I played 15. ... Nb6“, 丁立人 (Dīng Lìrén) said in the post-game press conference. “Here I calculated 19. ... Bf8, 19. ... Nd5 and 19. ... Kf8 but not 19. ... Nd7 would have kept the game going. Black is not worse at all. I think generally it was a high quality game”.
18. Bxb6 axb6 19. Bxf3 Ra6

20. Qb5. “I considered both 20. Ne5 and 20. e3”, Gukesh said afterwards. “It should give a small edge I think. Yeah 20. Ne5 I thought he can go 20. ... Bf8. I should have done this or 20. e3. When I played 20. Qb5 I just missed this idea, that he can go 21. ... Qa7 and 22. ... Rb8. There were lot of tricks in the position but somehow it’s just working concretely for Black. Maybe 20. Ne5 is the right way but anyway it should be equal with precise play”.
20. ... Rxa2 21. Nxb6 Qa7 22. Qb1 Rb8 23. dxc5 Ra6 24. Qb5 Bxc5 25. Qxc5 Qxb6 26. Qxb6 Raxb6 27. Rc6 Rxc6 28. Bxc6 g5 29. Kg2 Rb2 30. Kf1 Kg7 31. h3 h5 32. Ra1 Rc2 33. Bb5 Rc5 34. Bd3 Nd7 35. f4 gxf4 36. gxf4 Rc3 37. Kf2 Nc5 38. Ke3 Nxd3 39. exd3 Rc2 40. Kf3 Rd2 41. Ra3 Kg6 42. Rb3 f6 43. Ra3 Kf5 44. Ra5+ e5 45. fxe5 Rxd3+ 46. Ke2 Rxh3 47. exf6+ Kxf6 48. Kf2 h4 49. Kg2 Rg3+ 50. Kh2 Kg6 51. Rb5 Rg5 52. Rxg5+ Kxg5 53. Kh3 Kf6 54. Kxh4 Ke5 ½–½.

“It means we are at a same strength”, 丁立人 (Dīng Lìrén) said eventually. “No one is clear better at this match. So it’s going to be tough to win”. Photo: Eng Chin An.

Another Day in Winter

丁立人 (Dīng Lìrén) – Dommaraju Gukesh
World Chess Championship 2024; match game 8; Sentosa, December 4, 2024
English Opening A21

1. c4 e5 2. Nc3 Bb4 3. Nd5 Be7 4. Nf3 d6 5. g3 c6 6. Nxe7 Nxe7 7. Bg2 f6 8. 0-0 Be6 9. b3 d5 10. Ba3 0-0 11. Rc1 a5 12. Ne1 Re8 13. f4 exf4 14. Rxf4 dxc4 15. bxc4 Ng6 16. Re4 Na6 17. Nc2 Qc7 18. Nd4 Bf7 19. d3 Ne5 20. Nf3 Nd7 21. Rxe8+ Rxe8 22. Rb1? (⌓ 22. Bb2)

22. ... b5! 23. cxb5 Qb6+ 24. Kf1 cxb5 25. Bb2 Bxa2 26. Bd4

26. ... Nac5? The wrong Knight. “This 26. ... Ndc5 just looked weird to me”, Gukesh said afterwards. “So I was mainly considering 26. ... Nac5 and I thought what I did in the game, must be winning. I guess with the Knight on d7, he always has some tricks with Bg2-h3. I need to watch out for the unpleasant pin. I just didn’t realize that 26. ... Ndc5 was strong. It was also based on the fact that I missed 28. Qe1. 28. ... Nac5 29. Rc1 Bb3 I thought 30. Qd2 b4 is just winning for me but I missed 28. Qe1, because of 28. ... Nxd3 29. Qc3... It was very impressive that my opponent found this Qd1-e1 so quickly, a great defence by him”.
27. Rc1 Bb3

28. Qe1 Be6 29. Qf2 Rc8 30. Be3 Rc7 31. Nd4 Bf7 32. Nc6 Rxc6 33. Bxc6 Qxc6 34. Bxc5 h6 35. Ke1 b4 36. Qd4 Ne5 37. Kd2 Qg2 38. Qf2 Qd5 39. Qd4 Qg2 40. Qf2 Qd5 41. Qd4 Qa2+ 42. Rc2 Qe6 43. Qd8+ Kh7 44. Qxa5 b3 45. Rc1 Qd5 46. Qb4 Qg2 47. Qe4+ Qxe4 48. dxe4 b2 49. Rb1 Ba2 50. Rxb2 Nc4+ 51. Kc3 Nxb2 ½–½.

丁立人 (Dīng Lìrén)’s faith may be summed up thus: no pain, no gain. Photo: Eng Chin An.

Pillar of Rock

Dommaraju Gukesh – 丁立人 (Dīng Lìrén)
World Chess Championship 2024; match game 7; Sentosa, December 3, 2024
Grünfeld Defence D78

1. Nf3 d5 2. g3 g6 3. d4 Bg7 4. c4 c6 5. Bg2 Nf6 6. 0-0 0-0 7. Re1 dxc4 8. e4 Bg4 9. Nbd2 c5 10. d5 e6 11. h3 Bxf3 12. Bxf3 exd5 13. exd5 Nbd7 14. Nxc4 b5 15. Na3 Qb6 16. Bf4 Rfe8 17. Qd2 Rad8 18. Nc2 Nf8 19. b4 c4 20. Be3 Qa6!? 21. Bd4 Rxe1+ 22. Rxe1 Qxa2!? A somewhat risky Pawn grab, but consistent with his 20th move.
23. Ra1

23. ... Qb3?! 23. ... c3! was a better justification for 丁立人 (Dīng Lìrén)’s materialism; for example: 24. Bxc3 (24. Qd3 Qb3 25. Ra3 Qb1+ 26. Kh2 Ng4+! 27. hxg4 Bxd4 28. Qxd4 Qxc2 29. Rxc3 Qb2∞) 24. ... Qc4 25. Bxf6 Bxf6 26. Rxa7 Ne6 with interesting compensation.
24. Ra3 Qb1+ 25. Kg2 Rd7 26. Ra5 Qb3 27. Ra3 Qb1 28. Ra5 Qb3 29. Rxb5 Qd3 30. Qf4 (30. Be3±)
40. ... Qxc2 31. Bxf6 Qf5 32. Qxf5 gxf5 33. Bxg7 Kxg7 34. Rc5 Ng6 35. Rxc4 Ne5 36. Rd4 Nc6! 37. Rf4 Ne7 38. b5 Kf6 39. Rd4 h6 40. Kf1

40. ... Ke5. The 40th move is often a “game changer”, and this one makes no exception. 丁立人 (Dīng Lìrén) then suggested 40. ... Nc8! 41. Rh4 Kg7 42. Rc4 Nd6 43. Rc5 Rb7 44. Be2 Rd7 with a blockade.
41. Rh4 Nxd5 42. Rxh6 Nc3 43. Rc6 Ne4 44. Ke1 f6. More accurate seems 44. ... Rd5! 45. Be2 Rd4 46. Rc4 Rxc4 47. Bxc4 f4 48. g4 f5! with a holdable endgame in spite od the Pawn minus.
45. h4 Rd3 46. Bd1?! (46. Ke2 Rd5 47. b6 axb6 48. Rxb6±)

46. ... f4! 47. gxf4+ Kxf4 48. Bc2. Now, but too late, Gukesh noticed that Black could reply to 48. Rc4 with 48. ... Rh3! 49. f3 Rh1+ drawing by perpetual check.
48. ... Rd5 49. Rc4 f5 50. Rb4 Kf3 51. Bd1+ Kg2 52. Rb3 Re5 53. f4 Re7 54. Re3 Rh7 55. h5 Nf6 56. Re5 Nxh5 57. Rxf5 Ng3 58. Rf8 Rb7 59. Ba4 Kf3 60. f5 Kf4 61. f6 Ne4 62. Bc2 Nd6 63. Rd8 Ke5 64. Bb3 Nf7 65. Rd5+ Kxf6 66. Kd2 Rb6 67. Bc4 Rd6 68. Kc3 Rxd5 69. Bxd5 Nd6 70. Kb4 Nxb5 71. Kxb5 a6+ 72. Kxa6 ½–½.

Once again 丁立人 (Dīng Lìrén) proved to be a formidable defender. Photo: Maria Alekseevna Emelianova.

Little Goes a Long Way

丁立人 (Dīng Lìrén) – Dommaraju Gukesh
World Chess Championship 2024; match game 6; Sentosa, December 1, 2024
Queen’s Pawn Game D02

1. d4 Nf6 2. Bf4 d5 3. e3 e6 4. Nf3 c5 5. c3 Bd6 6. Bb5+ Nc6 7. Bxc6+ bxc6 8. Bxd6 Qxd6 9. Qa4 0-0 10. Qa3 Ne4 11. Nfd2

11. ... e5 12. Nxe4 dxe4 13. Qxc5 Qg6 14. Nd2 Qxg2 15. 0-0-0 Qxf2 16. dxe5 Rb8 17. Nc4 Be6 18. Rd2 Qf3 19. Re1 Bxc4 20. Qxc4 Qf5 21. Qxc6 Qxe5 22. Qd5 Qe7 23. Qd6 Qg5 24. Qd5 Qe7 25. Qd6 Qg5 26. Qd5 Qh4. 丁立人 (Dīng Lìrén) then said that Gukesh’s refusal to repeat moves took him greatly by surprise, as in his opinion the Black Queen seems to not give the impression that it stands too well on the Kingside.

27. Red1 g6 28. Qe5 Rbe8 29. Qg3 Qh5 30. Qf4 Qa5 31. a3 Qb5 32. Rd4 Qe2 33. R1d2 Qf3

34. Kc2. In his article for The Guardian, Bryan Armen Graham writes: “But with time pressure mounting for both players ahead of the first time control, 丁 (Dīng) seemingly gave up his advantage with a Queen exchange (34. Kc2!?). The position simplified into a Rook endgame, with neither player able to find a breakthrough before the game concluded with a series of repetitions after 4hr 15min”.
Critical was 34. Qg5! preserving White’s initiative and advantage.
34. ... Qxf4 35. exf4 f5 36. h4 e3 37. Re2 Re7 38. Kd3 Rfe8 39. h5 gxh5 40. Rd5 h4 41. Rxf5 Rd7+ 42. Kc2 Kg7 43. Rg2+ Kh8 44. Re2 Kg7 45. Rg2+ Kh8 46. Re2 Kg7 ½–½.

丁立人 (Dīng Lìrén) is still in search of his own true self. Photo: Eng Chin An.

Nothing Daunted

Dommaraju Gukesh – 丁立人 (Dīng Lìrén)
World Chess Championship 2024; match game 5; Sentosa, November 30, 2024
French Defence C01

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. exd5. Fear can work miracles.
3. ... exd5 4. Nf3 Nf6 5. Bd3 c5 6. c3 c4 7. Bc2 Bd6 8. Qe2+ Qe7 9. Qxe7+ Kxe7 10. 0-0 Re8 11. Re1+ Kf8 12. Rxe8+ Kxe8 13. Bg5 Nbd7 14. Nbd2 h6 15. Bh4 Nh5 16. Re1+ Kf8

17. g4!? A bold venture, apparently trying to squeeze blood from a turnip. On the other hand, if 17. Nf1 then 17. ... g5 18. Bg3 Nxg3 19. Nxg3 Bxg3 20. hxg3 Nf6= 21. a4 Bd7 22. Ne5 Be8 23. Nf3 Rc8 24. Nd2 b6 25. Nf1 Bd7 26. Ne3 Rb8 27. Ra1 Ke7 28. f3 h5 29. Kf2 Kd6 30. Ke2 Re8 31. Kd2 Rg8 32. Ke2 Re8 33. Kd2 Rg8 34. Ke2 Re8 ½–½ V. Damjanović – J. Kramer, 24th European Individual Chess Championship, Petrovac 2024.
17. ... Nf4 18. Bg3 Nb6 19. g5 hxg5 20. Nxg5. With the brutal threat of 21. Nh7+ Kg8 22. Re8+ followed by mate.
20. ... Bd7 21. Ngf3 Re8 22. Ne5 Bxe5 23. dxe5? Dazed and frustrated by his own poverty of theory, Gukesh committs an error of bad judgment, putting himself in trouble for no reason. He should have retaken with the Rook.

23. ... Nd3! 24. Bxd3 cxd3 25. f3 (25. b3 Rc8∓)
25. ... Nc4 26. Nxc4 dxc4 27. Re4

27. ... Bc6. “I don’t know why my opponent did not play 27. ... Be6 28. Rd4 Rc8”, Gukesh said afterwards. “I was very worried about this position”. 丁立人 (Dīng Lìrén) has the answer ready: “I didn’t see the ... Re8-c8, ... Rc8-c5 and move the King to the Kingside like some kind of Berlin Pawn structure. I didn’t realize that it’s a big advantage for me”.
28. Rd4. Of course, the Pawn is taboo (28. Rxc4?? Rd8 winning decisive material).
28. ... Bxf3 29. Kf2 Bc6. A tacit draw offer, probably not so out of place. “I knew that I should be slightly worse after 29. ... Bh5 but I thought with an active Rook, I should be able to hold”, Gukesh said.
30. Rxc4 Rd8 31. Rd4 Rxd4 32. cxd4 Bd5 33. b3 Ke7 34. Ke3 Ke6 35. Kxd3 g6 36. Kc3 a6 37. Kd3 Kf5 38. Ke3 Ke6 39. Kd3 Kf5 40. Ke3 Ke6 ½–½.

“The results are not ideal because I have some chances in some games to lead by some points, and it’s even”, 丁立人 (Dīng Lìrén) said. “Also today after some quick check I had some advantage which I didn’t realize, so there is something to improve”. Photo: Eng Chin An.

Long Way Home

丁立人 (Dīng Lìrén) – Dommaraju Gukesh
World Chess Championship 2024; match game 4; Sentosa, November 29, 2024
Réti Opening A06

1. Nf3 d5 2. e3 Nf6 3. b3 Bf5 4. Be2 h6 5. Ba3. By his own admission, 丁立人 (Dīng Lìrén) was thinking of a Queen’s Indian reversed with a tempo ahead. As Dutch Grandmaster Jan Timman pointed out, “The idea of 丁立人 (Dīng Lìrén)’s 5. Ba3 is known from Petrosian – Tal, Curaçao ’62”.

5. ... Nbd7 6. 0-0 e6 7. Bxf8 Nxf8 8. c4 N8d7 9. Nc3 0-0 10. cxd5 exd5 11. b4 c6 12. Nd4 Bh7 13. Qb3 (13. Nb3 Qe7 14. a3 Rfc8 15. Rc1 a5 16. Nxa5 b6 17. Nxc6 Rxc6 18. Nxd5 Nxd5 19. Rxc6 Ne5 20. Rc1 Nd3 21. Rc6 Ne5 22. Rc1 Nd3 23. Ra1 Rd8 24. Bxd3 Bxd3 25. Re1 b5 26. Rc1 Nb6 27. Qh5 ½–½ Flores – Real de Azúa, 90th Argentine Chess Championship, Buenos Aires 2015)
13. ... Ne5 14. a4 Rc8 15. a5 b6

16. Nf3. In absence of any meaningful analytical challenge, most of the post-game commentary focused on the possibility for White to advance his Pawn to f4 somewhere between moves 14 and 16. “f2-f4 was one of the ideas that I always had to consider, here I think after 16. ... Nc4, I am just at least slightly better”, Gukesh said. “I considered f2-f4 but I thought it involved some risk for White and he was not ready to take that risk”.
16. ... Nxf3+ 17. Bxf3 d4 18. Ne2 dxe3 19. dxe3 Be4 20. Rfd1 Qe7 21. Bxe4 Nxe4 22. axb6 axb6 23. Nc3 Rfd8 24. Nxe4 Qxe4 25. h3 c5 26. Rxd8+ Rxd8 27. bxc5 bxc5 28. Rc1 Qe5 29. Qc2 Rd5 30. g3 f5 31. Kg2 Kh7 32. Qc4 Qd6 33. e4 Re5 34. exf5 Rxf5 35. Qe4 Qd5 36. Qxd5 Rxd5 37. Kf3 Kg6 38. Ke4 Rd4+ 39. Ke3 Rd5 40. Ke4 Rd4+ 41. Ke3 Rd5 42. Ke4 Rd4+ ½–½. The moral is plain: 丁立人 (Dīng Lìrén) did nothing and got nothing.

Four-time Women’s World Chess Champion 谢军 (Xiè Jūn) gives her tender loving care to 丁立人 (Dīng Lìrén) in the hope to restore his peace and favour to Caïssa. Photo: Maria Alekseevna Emelianova.

3÷2

Dommaraju Gukesh – 丁立人 (Dīng Lìrén)
World Chess Championship 2024; match game 3; Sentosa, November 27, 2024
Queen’s Gambit Declined D35

1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 d5 3. c4 e6 4. cxd5 exd5 5. Nc3 c6 6. Qc2 g6 7. h3 Bf5 8. Qb3 Qb6 9. g4 Qxb3 10. axb3 Bc2 11. Bf4 h5 12. Rg1 hxg4 13. hxg4

13. ... Nbd7!? 丁立人 (Dīng Lìrén) then complained he didn’t well know what to do after 7. h3, yet the text move is a clear improvement on 13. ... Bxb3? 14. Nd2! Bc4 15. Nxc4 dxc4 16. e3± Kramnik – Erigaisi, 1st FIDE World Rapid Team Championship, Düsseldorf 2023 (time control: 15 minutes plus 10 seconds per move).
14. Nd2 Rg8 15. g5!? (15. Be3 g5 16. Rc1⩲)
15. ... Nh5 16. Bh2 Rh8 17. f3 Ng7 18. Bg3

18. ... Rh5? The question arises about whether it is an oversight or a non-oversight, but 丁立人 (Dīng Lìrén)’s explaination leaves no room for doubt: “I knew my Bishop on c2 was a weakness so I tried to come up with some idea to save it. I calculated a long line with 18. ... Be7, and I thought I was worse. Now I see that it’s not so clear, according to the computer. In the line that I played with 18. ... Rh5, I missed his move 23. Ne2”.
19. e4! “I am winning a piece but he gets a couple of Pawns”, Gukesh then said. “The dark squares are a bit soft. I didn’t think I was completely winning. I knew that I should be better or close to winning”.
19. ... dxe4 20. fxe4 Ne6 21. Rc1 Nxd4 22. Bf2 Bg7

23. Ne2! White’s only and best move. Gukesh is careful enough to make his material advantage tell.
23. ... Nxb3 24. Rxc2 Nxd2 25. Kxd2 Ne5 26. Nd4 Rd8 27. Ke2 Rh2 28. Bg2 a6 29. b3 Rd7 30. Rcc1 Ke7 31. Rcd1 Ke8 32. Bg3 Rh5 33. Nf3 Nxf3 34. Kxf3 Bd4 35. Rh1 Rxg5 36. Bh3 f5 37. Bf4 Rh5 1–0. Black flagged. But if not, after 37. Bxf5 he ought to resign.

“I guess during the game we both thought White is doing well which is what matters”, Gukesh eventually said. Photo: Maria Alekseevna Emelianova.

Day by Day

丁立人 (Dīng Lìrén) – Dommaraju Gukesh
World Chess Championship 2024; match game 2; Sentosa, November 26, 2024
Giuoco Piano C50

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. d3 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. a4 d6 7. 0-0 h6 8. Be3 Be6 9. a5 Bxc4 10. dxc4 0-0

Ian Alexandrovich Nepomniachtchi, the previous challenger to 丁立人 (Dīng Lìrén), has time now to amuse himself with splitting hairs: “... Be6xc4 and ... 0-0 is a bit strange. If you don’t want to get this structure you normally take on e3 and play ... 0-0. If you don’t want to take a tough decision, you just castle and see what happens. But to accept such an unpleasnt structure voluntarily... not practical to say the least”.
11. Bxc5 dxc5 12. b3 Qxd1 13. Rfxd1 Rad8

14. Rdc1!? An ugly move, in true computer style, but that’s now how chess works. Yet 丁立人 (Dīng Lìrén) himself, afterwards, was not impressed by it at all: “The move Rd1-c1 is a typical idea in this kind of structure, but I don’t think it’s a good move in the game because I didn’t know how to develop while he has such a strong Knight on d4. In fact, later on, I moved the Rook back to d1”.
14. ... Nd4! 15. Ne1. If 15. Nxe5 then 15. ... Rfe8 16. f4 Nxe4 17. Nxe4 Ne2+ 18. Kf1 Nxf4! (not 18. ... Nxc1? on account of 19. Nc3! trapping the Black Knight) 19. Nxf7 Kxf7= with equality.
15. ... Rd6 16. Kf1

16. ... g6 (16. ... g5!?)
17. Rd1 Rfd8 18. f3 Kg7 19. Kf2 h5 20. Ne2 Nc6 21. Nc3 Nd4 22. Ne2 Nc6 23. Nc3 Nd4 ½–½.

At the end, both had what they wanted, waiting for more to come. Photo: Maria Alekseevna Emelianova.

A Modest Certainty

Dommaraju Gukesh – 丁立人 (Dīng Lìrén)
World Chess Championship 2024; match game 1; Sentosa, November 25, 2024
French Defence C11

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. e5 Nfd7 5. f4 c5 6. Nce2 Nc6 7. c3 a5. If 7. ... Qb6 8. Nf3 h5!? (Alexander – Castaldi, West-European Zonal Tournament, Hilversum 1947) then 9. f5!↑ with the initiative.
8. Nf3 a4 9. Be3 Be7

10. g4!? A novelty by Gukesh which claims to be better than 10. Qd2 0-0 11. h4 b5 12. dxc5 Nxc5 13. Bxc5 Bxc5 14. Ned4 Nxd4 15. cxd4 Be7 16. Kf2 b4 17. Rc1 Qb6 18. g4 Bd7 19. Kg3 Rfc8 20. Bd3 b3 21. a3 Rxc1 22. Rxc1 Rc8 23. Re1 Bb5 24. Bb1 Qc7 25. h5 Bd8 26. Kf2 Qa5 27. Qe3 Qa7 28. Rg1 Bb6 29. f5 Rc4 30. Rd1 exf5 31. gxf5 Rc6 32. f6 Qd7 33. Qg5 1–0 Duda – Caruana, 5th Speed Chess Championship Main Event, chess.com, November 15, 2020, round of 16 match game 9 (time control: 5 minutes plus 1 second per move).
10. ... Qa5 11. Bg2 a3 12. b3 cxd4 13. b4 Qc7 14. Nexd4 Nb6 15. 0-0 Nc4 16. Bf2 Bd7. White has got nothing out from the opening.
17. Qe2 Nxd4 18. Nxd4 Nb2 19. Qe3 Rc8 20. Rac1 Qc4

21. f5! Boldly going all out for the attack.
21. ... Qd3! 22. Qe1!? The engines do not like this move, but Gukesh’s decision not to exchange Queens is, from the relative standpoint of a finite human being, both coherent and understandable. On the other hand, 22. Qf4 g5! does not seem any better.
22. ... Bg5 23. Rc2 Rc4 24. h4 Bf4 25. Qb1. Now Rc2xb2 is a not so hidden threat.
25. ... Rxc3 26. Rxc3 Qxc3 27. fxe6 fxe6. Retaking with the Bishop was, nevertheless, the right continuation, because after the text White may still put up a fight.
28. Ne2 Qxe5 29. Nxf4 Qxf4

30. Qc2?? An absurd move which defies any logic except that Gukesh paid for his inexperience a dear price. Naturally, 30. Bc5! was the only consistent way of justifying White’s sacrificial policy, as after 31. ... Qxg4 32. Rf3! (32. Qxh7?! is spectacular but ultimately ineffective on account of 32. ... Qd4+!) 32. ... Nc4 (32. ... Na4!? 33. Qxh7! Qd4+! 34. Bxd4 Rxh7 35. Bf2 Ke7 36. Rxa3 b5 37. Re3 should hold for White) 33. Qf1 Kd8 34. Qf2! Black, in spite of his three extra Pawns, still has to struggle for his life.
30. ... Qc4 31. Qd2 0-0 32. Bd4
32. ... Nd3! 丁立人 (Dīng Lìrén) concludes brilliantly.
33. Qe3 Rxf1+ 34. Bxf1 e5! 35. Bxe5 Qxg4+ 36. Bg2 Bf5 37. Bg3 Be4 38. Kh2 h6 39. Bh3 Qd1 40. Bd6 Qc2+ 41. Kg3 Qxa2 42. Be6+ Kh8! 0–1. White was still hoping for 42. ... Kh7?? 43. Qxe4+! winning a piece and saving the game. “For sure I was nervous,” Gukesh said afterwards. “And I think it would be surprising if I said I wasn’t nervous. I was surely nervous, but after the game started I calmed down. I obviously surprised him in the opening. I was playing some good chess. But unfortunately then the momentum kind of slipped”.

“I feel very good”, 丁立人 (Dīng Lìrén) said. “I haven’t won a single classical game for a long time and today I managed to do that. But this game, I think to be fair, it’s very lucky for me because I missed two tactics”. Photo: Maria Alekseevna Emelianova.