Ding Liren scored a rollercoaster win in Game 12 to level the World Championship match scores at 6:6 with two games to go. Ian Nepomniachtchi played a dubious opening but won the middlegame battle and was suddenly playing fast and well in a dominant position. A win would mean almost certainly becoming the 17th World Champion, but Ian played too fast, lost control and ultimately crumbled under pressure. Match on!
The penultimate classical game of the World Championship match finished in a 39-move draw. Ding Liren got good chances to go for the win with the black pieces, failed to handle them well, and ended up needing to play accurately to hold the draw. This was Ian Nepomniachtchi’s last game with white in the classical portion of the match. Game 14 will be played on Saturday.
Ding Liren boldly tried to create winning chances with white in game 14 of the World Championship match, the last classical encounter of the confrontation. The strategy backfired, as the Chinese GM misplayed the position and needed accurate defence to hold a draw in a game that ended up lasting over six and a half hours. Rapid playoffs on Sunday will decide the winner.
By winning game 4 of the rapid tiebreakers — after three draws — Ding Liren became the 17th undisputed world chess champion! Ian Nepomniachtchi seemed to have things under control in the deciding game, and even a bit of an advantage at times, but he overestimated his chances and allowed Ding to get a dangerous passer. Ding kept his nerves and converted his advantage brilliantly.