Ding Liren and Ian Nepomniachtchi are facing off in game 7 of the World Chess Championship today.World Chess Championships 2023 Game 7 Highlights, (Ian Nepomniachtchi vs Ding Liren): Russia’s Ian Nepomniachtchi has won the 7th game of the 2023 World Chess Championship against China’s Ding Liren. Nepo, who played white, went one up as Ding collapsed under time pressure. The Russian GM now leads 4-3.
The seventh game lived up to the reputation of the championship battle. Ding initially looked shaky in the first two games, but was a changed player after Game 2. Since then they have taken turns at bouncing back. Nepo won Game 2 and 5. Ding won 3 and 6.
Grandmaster Pravin Thipsay has been analysing games of the World Chess Championship for The Indian Express. You can read his insightful analysis for Game 7 here. You can also read his columns for Game 1, Game 2, Game 3, Game 4, Game 5 and Game 6
Keep scrolling for live updates from Game 7 👇
Viswanathan Anand is one of the commentators for the World Chess Championships. (File)
"Five results in the first seven games! Are we really witnessing the most spirited World Chess Championship since the Second World War? I think so. Remarkably, the world’s best player isn’t even playing!" writes GM Pravin Thipsay in his column for Game 7.
Read Thipsay's analysis of the strange yet spectacular Game 7
You can also read Grandmaster Pravin Thipsay's insightful analysis for Game 1, Game 2, Game 3, Game 4, Game 5 & Game 6
... that Vladimir Kramnik, the last man from Russia to be world champion is helping Ian Nepomniachtchi in his clash against Ding Liren.
Read: World Chess Championship heats up with battle on the board, and Vladimir Kramnik rumours off it
The see-saw 2023 World Chess Championship saw another swing in fortune as Russia's Ian Nepomniachtchi beat Ding Liren in Game 7 at Astana.
You can read the report here.
"Surely, I didn't mind!" says Nepo. "But when he was under a minute, he was driven by the wrong idea."
Ding asked what about his playing style separates him from other players. "I don't what's my playing style at the moment. I'm playing different moves, different style."
Nepo asked what about his playing style separates him from other players.
"I have no idea," he says. "As much as my opponent lets me play, I play."
"Clearly, I didn't expect anything like this. Lot of punches here for both sides. No one actually expected this. Perhaps, people for some time won't say 'classical chess is dead,'" says Nepo.
"No, I wasn't tired. Because I had sofa in the lounge, made some use of it," says the Russian.
Ian Nepomniachtchi calls Ding Liren's 21...Bd6! "a superb move".
Ding has not played French Defence since 2013. But it was one of his favourite ploys on the board as a child.
"During a walk with Richard Rapport (Hungarian GM, who is his second), I told him I'll play French Defence. It was a half joke. But he took it seriously. So yesterday he told me to play it!" says Ding, in the post-game press conference. "I prepared a lot for this game in French Defence."
"The whole game was extremely sharp and tense," says Nepo in the post-game press conference.
The Chinese GM was under severe time pressure and finally waved the white flag as Russia's Ian Nepomniachtchi takes the lead once again! The contest lasted 37 moves!
Nepo now leads 4-3!
Blistering move-making from under-pressure Ding.
He had 43 seconds to make six moves. he's made his 35th move, and he still has 35 seconds left. He made that move INSIDE A SECOND!
DING LIREN HAS 43 SECONDS TO MAKE SIX MOVES!!!!
1 e4 e6
2 d4 d5
3 Nd2 c5
4 Ngf3 cxd4
5 Nxd4 Nf6
6 exd5 Nxd5
7 N2f3 Be7
8 Bc4 Nc6
9 Nxc6 bxc6
10 O-O O-O
11 Qe2 Bb7
12 Bd3 Qc7
13 Qe4 Nf6
14 Qh4 c5
15 Bf4 Qb6
16 Ne5 Rad8
17 Rae1 g6
18 Bg5 Rd4
19 Qh3 Qc7
20 b3 Nh5
21 f4 Bd6
22 c3 Nxf4
23 Bxf4 Rxf4
24 Rxf4 Bxe5
25 Rh4 Rd8
26 Be4 Bxe4
27 Rhxe4 Rd5
28 Rh4 Qd6
29 Qe3 h5
30 g3 Bf6
31 Rc4 h4
32 gxh4 Rd2
33 Re2 Rd3
But the Russian has to make just seven more moves. His Chinese opponent across the board is running out of oxygen!
Ding moves his rook to d2 and now has just 45 seconds on the clock! In that time, he has to make seven more moves to escape losing on time!
Ding now in a proper race again the clock! He will now have almost 30 seconds to make each move. As Nepo makes his 32nd move ( gxh4 ) , the pressure is showing on both players. The Russian is walking in circles around the stage as Ding's clock goes below three minutes!!!!
Lots of blood on the board. Over the last few moves, with time running short Nepo and Ding went for a flurry of captures. White now has the queen and two rooks, Black has the queen a rook and a bishop.
Here are the moves between 21 and 28
21 f4 Bd6
22 c3 Nxf4
23 Bxf4 Rxf4
24 Rxf4 Bxe5
25 Rh4 Rd8
26 Be4 Bxe4
27 Rhxe4 Rd5
28 Rh4 Qd6
Here are all the 20 moves so far...
1 e4 e6
2 d4 d5
3 Nd2 c5
4 Ngf3 cxd4
5 Nxd4 Nf6
6 exd5 Nxd5
7 N2f3 Be7
8 Bc4 Nc6
9 Nxc6 bxc6
10 O-O O-O
11 Qe2 Bb7
12 Bd3 Qc7
13 Qe4 Nf6
14 Qh4 c5
15 Bf4 Qb6
16 Ne5 Rad8
17 Rae1 g6
18 Bg5 Rd4
19 Qh3 Qc7
20 b3 Nh5
As China's Ding Liren mulls his 19th move, his clock is ticking down at 33 minutes. This means he has just over half an hour to make 21 moves. His Russian opponent has an hour and two mins to make 20 moves.
After white's 14th Qh4 move, Ding thought a lot before finally moving c5. This was followed by 15. Bf4 Qf6 (black queen taking cover) 16. Ne5... White keeping up the pressure on the kingside.
Here are the first 15 moves so far:
1 e4 e6
2 d4 d5
3 Nd2 c5
4 Ngf3 cxd4
5 Nxd4 Nf6
6 exd5 Nxd5
7 N2f3 Be7
8 Bc4 Nc6
9 Nxc6 bxc6
10 O-O O-O
11 Qe2 Bb7
12 Bd3 Qc7
13 Qe4 Nf6
14 Qh4 c5
15 Bf4 Qb6
A pattern is starting to emerge now. Ding sticking to the board on the stage. Nepo waltzing out from the lounge, taking one look at the board, playing his move, and flitting out of the playing hall. We have seen this in previous games as well.
After white's 14th Qh4 move, Ding is feeling the heat. Nepo's queen, knight and bishop are coming together for a dangerous attack on kingside. Ding is thinking hard in this position.
“My fear,” says five-time champion Viswanathan Anand, “is I’m sitting there rambling and then they play something (else)… I’d be slightly embarrassed. That’s the danger of not having a computer. One of the things I tried in Dubai (during the 2021 World Championship) and I stuck to here was almost never consulting a computer.”
You can read the interview here
Remember in the first couple of games of this contest Ding Liren was opening up about his mental struggles and came across as psychologically vulnerable?
GM Anish Giri says that the world may have misinterpreted his comments.
"I believe that the fact (Ding) was confessing his worries at the start of the match doesn't show a weakness at all. Everybody has these worries, but the fact that you are confident to share them is more a sign of strength," Giri says on Chess.com
Here are all the moves so far...
1 e4 e6
2 d4 d5
3 Nd2 c5
4 Ngf3 cxd4
5 Nxd4 Nf6
6 exd5 Nxd5
7 N2f3 Be7
8 Bc4 Nc6
9 Nxc6 bxc6
10 O-O O-O
11 Qe2 Bb7
There's a simple explanation: Computers, AI and chess engines are so pervasive in today's chess, that contenders have to employ unconventional tactics, like playing pawn to h3 in your fourth move, as Ding did in Game 2.
Read our interview with GM Surya Shekhar Ganguly to understand how one unconventional move explains the way players train, the role of second and the sport itself have changed.
By the ninth move, Nepo and Ding have exchanged two pawns and a knight each. Both castle short on the 10th move. Here are the moves till now:
1 e4 e6
2 d4 d5
3 Nd2 c5
4 Ngf3 cxd4
5 Nxd4 Nf6
6 exd5 Nxd5
7 N2f3 Be7
8 Bc4 Nc6
9 Nxc6 bxc6
The last time the French Defence was played in a World Championship match was way back in 1978. Between Anatoly Karpov and Viktor Korchnoi, says chess.com. That was Game 16. The game was drawn.
Reacting to Ding Liren's French Defence, GM Daniel Naroditsky and GM Anish Giri were shocked in the Chess.com commentary! "Wow! Unbelievable," said Naroditsky.
Giri adds: "This is huge, Oh my God!"
The Russian GM, who was Magnus Carlsen's second in the 2021 World Championship, says he wants to see a 'real gamble at some point.'
'Something that's complete garbage... a complete bluff.'
Let's see if the players do that as a birthday gift. (Probably not going to happen).
He returns soon enough and we're five moves into the game in the blink of an eye.
Here are all the moves:
1 e4 e6
2 d4 d5
3 Nd2 c5
4 Ngf3 cxd4
5 Nxd4 Nf6
All eyes were on how Ian Nepomniachtchi will start.
Will it again be the Spanish? Ding was not seen to handle it well.
They begin 1. e4 e5 2. d4 d5. It's the French Defence. No Spanish today.
In the commentary box, GM Irina Krush is surprised. Daniil Dubov is not! He credits this to the influence of Ding's second, Richard Rapport.
Hello and welcome to our live blog on yet another exciting round of the World Chess Championship where Game 7 will be played between Ian Nepomniachtchi and Ding Liren. Game 7 has become much more interesting because of Ding's dramatic comeback in Game 6 to make the scores 3:3. Eyes will be on the winner who will make it 4:3 today and inch closer to winning the championship.