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Chinese world champion Ding Liren returned to the board this week after a rumor-fueled eight-month hiatus.
In an interview just before he re-entered the Netherlands’ Tata Steel Wijk aan Zee’s Chess Wimbledon, the 31-year-old revealed that his illness was “mental, not physical”. He said four months ago he briefly considered retiring, but is now “much better than ever” and ready to defend his world title later this year.
Meanwhile, Magnus Carlsen, who held the Classical Chess World Championship for 10 years before abdicating in 2023, won two more World Rapid Championships and Blitz Championships last month, losing only once in 34 matches. . Carlsen hinted that he could return to competing in the classic version if the format was sped up, for example with two games a day and no rest days.
Mr. Ding doesn’t seem to have that. The most important line in his interview was when he was asked if he would agree to shortening the game and he replied: “No. “I think it’s pretty normal to play a classic to determine a classic world champion. I think that’s a very classic way to do it.”
Ding started Wike’s campaign cautiously, scoring two routine draws, but it was Alireza Firouzja who delivered key performances in the early rounds. Two years ago, the Iranian-born Frenchman was a top candidate, but her ambitions to combine her other careers in chess and fashion design put her off.
Firouzja’s lowest point came last month when he performed poorly at the Sinquefield Cup in St. Louis and was in imminent danger of losing his candidacy based on his ratings. The French federation arranged a match to help him, but world chess organization Fide refused to rate the match. Firugia then won all seven exhibition matches in Rouen and regained his place in the ratings in just one day.
Maybe he learned his lesson. His first two matches with Wyke were both impressive wins in the intricate style that was once his trademark.
puzzle 2555
Owen Robson vs Daniel Hill, York 2022. White moves and wins. In the actual match, White resigned! He believed that Bxc7 and he had lost their way due to the threat of Rxg2+. Can we do better?
click here for the solution
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