Chess Championship 2023 Live Updates: Ian Nepomniachtchi vs Ding Liren World Chess Championships 2023 Game 5 Highlights, (Ian Nepomniachtchi vs Ding Liren): Ian Nepomniachtchi has bounced back and won Game 5 of World Chess Championship 2023 against Ding Liren. Playing white, Nepo outpaced the Chinese GM who came to the match in high spirits after a win in the previous game.
(NOTE: This is our live blog for Game 5 of the World Championship. For our blog of Game 6, you can click here)
Nepomniachtchi is now one up having three points from four games. He also won the second game while Ding prevailed in Game 4. The remaining two games ended in draws.
Grand Master Pravin Thipsay has been analysing games of the World Chess Championship for The Indian Express. You can read his analysis of Game 1, Game 2, Game 3, and Game 4.
Scroll for World Chess Championships 2023 Game 5 Highlights, (Ian Nepomniachtchi vs Ding Liren):
His response: "As they say, I literally don't care! Maybe he's turning into a streamer, since this is a famous quote from another very strong player..."
The Russian here is quoting Carlsen who was asked who he thinks would be the next world champion.
After winning Game 5, Ian Nepomniachtchi says at the press conference: "I didn't think my prep was as deadly as you think... But after a rest day, I missed him (Ding Liren)."
48 moves and 4 hours, 15 minutes of chess later, game 5 is done with Ian Nepomniachtchi winning his second game. This is now the third game in the five games so far to end in a result!
Nepo has a 3-2 lead now!
April 17: REST DAY
Ding Liren is still hanging on. But it seems like he is about to lose. Just a matter of minutes!
Here are all the 46 moves so far:
1 e4 e5
2 Nf3 Nc6
3 Bb5 a6
4 Ba4 Nf6
5 O-O Be7
6 d3 b5
7 Bb3 d6
8 c3 O-O
9 h3 Bb7
10 a4 Na5
11 Ba2 c5
12 Bg5 h6
13 Bxf6 Bxf6
14 axb5 axb5
15 Nbd2 Nc6
16 Bd5 Rxa1
17 Qxa1 Qd7
18 Re1 Ra8
19 Qd1 Bd8
20 Nf1 Ne7
21 Bxb7 Qxb7
22 Ne3 Bb6
23 h4 Qc6
24 h5 c4
25 d4 exd4
26 Nxd4 Qc5
27 Qg4 Qe5
28 Nf3 Qe6
29 Nf5 Nxf5
30 exf5 Qf6
31 Qe4 Rb8
32 Re2 Bc5
33 g4 Qd8
34 Qd5 Kf8
35 Kf1 Rc8
36 Re4 Rb8
37 g5 hxg5
38 Rg4 Ra8
39 Nxg5 Ra1+
40 Ke2 Qe7+
41 Ne4 Qe8
42 Kf3 Qa8
43 Qxa8+ Rxa8
44 f6 g6
45 hxg6 fxg6
46 Rxg6 Ra2
And Nepo, once again pacing around the stage.
Ding Liren had three seconds left on the clock to make his 40th move when he played Qe7+!
Whrn the game started today, the temperature outisde in Astana was around -7 degrees!
1 e4 e5
2 Nf3 Nc6
3 Bb5 a6
4 Ba4 Nf6
5 O-O Be7
6 d3 b5
7 Bb3 d6
8 c3 O-O
9 h3 Bb7
10 a4 Na5
11 Ba2 c5
12 Bg5 h6
13 Bxf6 Bxf6
14 axb5 axb5
15 Nbd2 Nc6
16 Bd5 Rxa1
17 Qxa1 Qd7
18 Re1 Ra8
19 Qd1 Bd8
20 Nf1 Ne7
21 Bxb7 Qxb7
22 Ne3 Bb6
23 h4 Qc6
24 h5 c4
25 d4 exd4
26 Nxd4 Qc5
27 Qg4 Qe5
28 Nf3 Qe6
29 Nf5 Nxf5
30 exf5 Qf6
31 Qe4 Rb8
32 Re2 Bc5
33 g4 Qd8
34 Qd5 Kf8
35 Kf1 Rc8
36 Re4 Rb8
37 g5 hxg5
"The way this game is going, it's a crazy roller-coaster," says Irina Krush, who is an eight-time US Women’s Champion.
Nepo has a 40-minute advantage on the clock, and a clear advantage on the board. The Russian GM is calmly walking around the stage in the playing hall between moves, as the Chinese GM holds his head in both hands, staring at the board.
"He doesn't have a whole lot of moves to make before time control: six moves to make in around 22 minutes. That's okay. But it's so hard to come up with a move here. There are tactical and positional problems for him on the board," says Krush, who is an eight-time US Women’s Champion.
Anish Giri, who had pointed out that Nepo's ears had gone red in Game 4 after a blunder, says he can see Ding's ears getting red today.
"Maybe g4 is less of a blow, but still a big one. Black is on verge of defeat here. Very, very worried for Ding here," says Giri on Chess.com
"A difficult position for Black. Juicy, juicy position for White. I fear for Black, very, very difficult position or Ding," says Anish GIri, while talking to Chess.com
You can follow all our chess coverage here.
You can also read GM Pravin Thipsay's analysis from Game 1, Game 2, Game 3 and Game 4.
Here's what the board looks like after 31 moves
By 11th move, there was only one game played earlier. The 12th move by Nepomniachtchi was a new idea. Though Alireza Firouza had won against Anish Giri in a different idea, Nepomniachtchi chose to vary. He seems slightly better, with a stronghold on K side, after move 28, but draw is a more likely result.
In standard games, Nepo leads 3-2 with nine draws.
In rapid games, Nepo leads 4-2.
In blitz games, Nepo leads 4-1 (with two draws).
Here are the 24 moves of the game so far:
1 e4 e5
2 Nf3 Nc6
3 Bb5 a6
4 Ba4 Nf6
5 O-O Be7
6 d3 b5
7 Bb3 d6
8 c3 O-O
9 h3 Bb7
10 a4 Na5
11 Ba2 c5
12 Bg5 h6
13 Bxf6 Bxf6
14 axb5 axb5
15 Nbd2 Nc6
16 Bd5 Rxa1
17 Qxa1 Qd7
18 Re1 Ra8
19 Qd1 Bd8
20 Nf1 Ne7
21 Bxb7 Qxb7
22 Ne3 Bb6
23 h4 Qc6
24 h5 c4
"Now it's the moment of truth for Nepo. Has he recovered from the defeat (in Game 4)? This is the moment to show the world he's a great player. His moment to shine! Now he's definitely out of the book. His seconds must be watching on screens, their work is done!" Anish Giri says on Chess.com stream!
Strategically, Ding should be more comfortable in this position because it is a sort of known structure for him, Nepomniachtchi seems to have prepared this specifically for the World Championship.
Have your say about who will end up winning Game 5 of the World Chess Championship. Tweet your replies in our thread!
The game has started with Spanish opening, also commonly known as Ruy Lopez, one of the most popular openings for over a century. Ding is an expert of this opening with Black. Nepomniachtchi has great results with White in a sharp variation named as 'early d4 variation'. However, in this game, he has chosen quieter system with closed centre. Ding has equalised comfortably in the game and the game is likely to end in a draw.
As Ding Liren comtemplates his 19th move, he seems to be under some pressure...
GM Daniil Dubov, who has replaced Vishy Anand in the FIDE commentary, says Nepo is definately not playing as per his pre-game prep now.
"I've played a lot of games with him. And there would be a lot of games when he would keep blitzing and I would be still be playing better. I stopped buying it when I was 16. And I'll be 27 in a few days. I've seen it too many times being a complete bluff," says Dubov.
Nepo has spent about one and a half minute to play his 15 moves. Ding Liren has spent nearly 27 minutes for his 14 moves. tells you a lot about how prepared the Russian is for the game today after a defeat in the last game.
Nepo moves bishop g5 with his 12th move, and, as FIDE commentator Irina Krush observes, there are no games in the database after this move!
Unchartered territory! Here are the moves so far.
1 e4 e5
2 Nf3 Nc6
3 Bb5 a6
4 Ba4 Nf6
5 O-O Be7
6 d3 b5
7 Bb3 d6
8 c3 O-O
9 h3 Bb7
10 a4 Na5
11 Ba2 c5
12 Bg5
The Russian plays a4 and gets off his chair to walk around the stage area while wearing his suit. Meanwhile, his Chinese opponent is into deep thought as he mulls his 10th move.
In the blink of an eye, we have the first nine moves from both players! Nepo, playing white, goes again for the Ruy Lopez, the opening he had favoured in Game 1. He looks like a man prepared, he has spent less than a minute for his first nine moves!
Here are all the moves:
1 e4 e5
2 Nf3 Nc6
3 Bb5 a6
4 Ba4 Nf6
5 O-O Be7
6 d3 b5
7 Bb3 d6
8 c3 O-O
9 h3 Bb7
Once again, it's Nepo who is the first to be on the stage. Ding arrives just before the start of the game. Nepo spends his time before the game walking about, and letting this thoughts wander.
In Game 2 of the World Chess Championship, Ding Liren moved his pawn to h3 in his fourth move playing white. It was a move that made jaws drop all over the world. Vishy Anand thought it was a type. Anish Giri joked it was probably a mouseslip.
But in a conversation with The Indian Express, GM Surya Shekhar Ganguly, who was Viswanathan Anand's second for his World Championship conquests, broke down why Ding making the move was not shocking. It instead spoke a lot about how the complexion of chess had changed, how players prepare for the games, how computers had changed the sport and a lot more.
(READ)
Ding Liren is the first man from China who is fighting for the World Chess Championship. It's a nation that has traditionally had success in women's chess. The man, who is currently in the spotlight, doesn’t want to be famous and has said in the past that he doesn’t “want to be written about every day, or interviewed after every tournament”. He likes to be by himself and make quiet exits after tournaments. (READ)
Russia has a long legacy of success at the World Chess Championship, which can be traced back to the Soviet era. Ian Nepomniachtchi is Russia’s next big hope to join the long line of world champions. But in a country smitten with chess, where the sport is linked to national pride, he hasn't exactly toed the government line on the Ukraine invasion.
(READ)
April 15: Round 5
April 16: Round 6
April 17: REST DAY
April 18: Round 7
April 19: REST DAY
April 20: Round 8
April 21: Round 9
April 22: REST DAY
April 23: Round 10
April 24: Round 11
April 25: REST DAY
April 26: Round 12
April 27: Round 13
April 28: REST DAY
April 29: Round 14
April 30: Tie-breaker if needed or Closing Ceremony
The 2023 World Chess Championships will be played as a best of 14 games, with a time control of 120 minutes for the first 40 moves, followed by 60 minutes for the next 20 moves, and then 15 minutes for the rest of the game with an increment of 30 seconds per move starting from move 61. In case of a tie, the champion would be determined in a rapid chess playoff.
Each game day till the 2023 World Chess Championship concludes and we have the 17th World Chess Champion, we'll have Grandmaster Pravin Thipsay analysing each game for us. As we build up to Game 5, you can read his previous analysis column for Game 1, Game 2 (which he called the worst game in history of World Championships), Game 3 (where he wrote of Ding's visible resurgence) and Game 4.
Ian Nepomniachtchi made it clear by the 8th move he was playing impotent and unambitious position
Ian Nepomniachtchi vs Ding Liren: Game 2 was the worst game played in the history of World Championships
GM Pravin Thipsay writes: Ding Liren now seems like proper contender to be world champion, Game 3 indicates he won’t go down easily
GM Pravin Thipsay writes: Finally, it looks like a World Championship match
Hello and welcome to our live coverage of Game 5 of the World Chess Championship between Russia’s Ian Nepomniachtchi and China’s Ding Liren. After four games, the contest is evenly poised with both players managing to win one game each. In Game 1, Russia’s Nepomniachtchi and China’s Ding played for just under five hours before agreeing to a draw. Game 2 saw Ding stumbling in 29 moves to hand Nepo the victory. After a rest day, Ding gave a much better account of himself in Game 3 and managed to hold on to a draw. Game 4 was where Ding really came into his own to beat Nepo and wrest back control of the championship game.