The fear of many was fulfilled, and in the worst possible version. The world champion in great crisis, Liren Ding, played reasonably well with the black pieces for 29 moves against the number one, Magnus Carlsen, in a double-edged position. And just when the excitement was growing, he made a huge mistake, unthinkable for any professional player. The Norwegian leads Norway Chess in Stavanger with four rounds remaining as the risk of the Chinese relinquishing the world title grows.
“Ding is not well. I feel very uncomfortable playing with him like this,” said Carlsen after his victory, summarizing the feelings of all the participants. The Scandinavian posed the game with white looking for a sharp, double-edged position, where all three outcomes were possible; a logical choice against a rival who had three consecutive defeats with major errors, even though he is the current world champion.
But this time Ding gave the impression for a long time that he was the real Ding, the one that Carlsen defined at the end of 2019 as his most fearsome rival, in a conversation with this newspaper in London. The Chinese played fast and well, as if he saw the light and a clear path in a really complex position, and more difficult to play for black than for white.
It is true that Ding made some inaccuracies in the third hour that would not have occurred had he been in his best form. But nothing serious: the position was advantageous for Carlsen, but also difficult for him to play, as a human being that he is; In fact, the Norwegian did not find the exact way that the machines predicted to take advantage of his advantage, which soon after became very small. It is true that the Asian was on the defensive, but without great cause for concern and with enough time.
And then came the total catastrophe. Carlsen set up a mating scheme that every professional knows, and also amateurs of a certain level, but easy to neutralize, as all the live commentators had already anticipated. And suddenly, Ding didn’t make the basic defensive move, but instead allowed himself to be mated. He shook hands with number one as a sign of abandonment and he stayed for a while with his head resting on his hands, his eyes covered, trying to understand the incredible accident he had just suffered.
Shortly before, in the press room, the director of the organization, Kjell Madland, told EL PAÍS the following: “This morning I spoke with Ding to inquire about his health, in case we could help him in some way. But he has insisted to me that he is fine, recovered, from a medical point of view. That his only problem is in chess.” That would be believable if Ding – after at least eight months of having very serious problems falling asleep each day – was simply playing below his usual level. But the truth is that he makes mistakes that are unthinkable for someone of his status.
Meanwhile, and in the hours that followed, the innovative Norway Chess system with its sudden deaths It brought pleasure to the Sunday fans who packed the room and to the legion of online viewers. In the duel between Americans, Fabiano Caruana won the tiebreaker over Hikaru Nakamura. And in the confrontation between two of the greatest talents so far this century, Alireza Firouzja and Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa tied their slow game after a very tense fight, and then the Franco-Iranian won the Armageddon.
The women’s tournament was also exciting, especially in the fight between the leader, Rameshbabu Vaishali, and the world champion, Wenjun Ju. It seemed that the Indian managed to recover from a technically lost position, but she claimed a draw from the referees twice wrongly and in the end lost the game and first place. Anna Muzychuk confirmed her brilliant emergence from the slump she has suffered in recent months with a victory in the sudden death about Tingjie Lei. And the Great lady, Pía Cramling, 61, achieved her first victory in the sudden death, after losing three, over Humpy Koneru.
At the same time, in another part of the building, an attempt is being made to break a Guinness record, for the most consecutive hours playing chess, by the Norwegians Askild Bryn and Odin Blikra Vea, who aim to reach 61 without sleeping. But that mark can be simultaneous with another, negative and very sad one: the worst performance by a world champion in the history of chess.
Results (6th round).-
In Norway Chess, every game that ends in a draw is immediately followed (less than 20 minutes) by a Armageddon, with 10 minutes for the white pieces and 7 for the black pieces; In the event of a new tie, the black player wins. Victory in the slow game gives 3 points (zero for the loser); in Armageddon, 1.5 (1 for the loser).
Absolute tournament: Carlsen – Ding, 1-0; Nakamura – Caruana, draw, 0-1; Firouzja – Praggnanandhaa, draw, 1-0.
Women’s tournament: Vaishali – Ju, 0-1; Koneru -Cramling, planks, planks; Lei – A. Muzychuk, draw, 0-1.
Classifications.-
Absolute tournament: 1st Carlsen 12 points; 2nd Nakamura 11; 3rd Praggnanandhaa 9.5; 4th Firouzja 8; 5th Caruana 6.5; 6th Ding 2.5.
Women’s tournament: 1st–2nd A. Muzychuk and Ju 10.5 points; 3rd Vaishali 10 points; 4th Law 7; 5th Koneru 5; 6th Cramling 4.5.
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