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Ding Liren

2010s – PresentWorld Champion 2023 – 2024Peak rating 2816202 games

Chinese grandmaster and the 17th World Champion, known for a solid universal style, deep calculation and a 100-game unbeaten classical streak.

Ding Liren
Photo: TheBoburshokh, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

How Liren plays

Ding Liren became the 17th World Champion in 2023 and had earlier gone a hundred classical games unbeaten. His style is solid and universal: careful in the opening, strong in calculation, and very hard to beat, with a liking for harmonious piece play rather than wild complications.

What to learn from Liren

Ding's games show how to keep a position under control. Notice how rarely he allows counterplay, and how he converts an advantage without hurry.

A game to play through

Ding Liren vs Zhang Jianhua - TCh-CHN Men 2001 1-0 — the final position. A Ding Liren win with the white pieces.

Ding Liren: the final position
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 Nf6 4.Nc3 Nbd7 5.Bc4 h6 6.O-O Be7 7.Qe2 O-O 8.Be3 a6 9.a4 c6 10.dxe5 Nxe5 11.Nxe5 dxe5 12.a5 c5 13.Rfd1 Qc7 14.f3 b6 15.axb6 Qxb6 16.b3 Bb7 17.Ra2 Rfd8 18.Rda1 a5 19.Qe1 Bc6 20.Na4 Bxa4 21.Rxa4 Rd7 22.Rxa5 Raa7 23.Rxa7 Rxa7 24.Qc3 Bd6 25.Qb2 Bb8 26.Rxa7 Qxa7 27.b4 Bd6 28.b5 Qb6 29.Qa3 g5 30.Qa6 Nd7 31.Qc8+ Nf8 32.Qe8 Qa7 33.b6 Qe7 34.Qxe7 Bxe7 35.Bb5 Ne6 36.b7 Bd6 37.Bc4 Nd8 38.Bd5 c4 39.Ba7 Nxb7 40.Bxb7 Kg7 41.Kf2 Kf6 42.Ke3 c3 43.Kd3 Bb4 44.Kc4 Ba5 45.g4 Kg6 46.Kb5 Bc7 47.Kb4 h5 48.h3 h4 49.Kxc3 Kf6 50.Kb4 Ke6 51.c4 Bd6+ 52.c5 Be7 53.Kb5 Kd7 54.c6+ Kc7 55.Bc5 Bf6 56.Bb6+ Kb8 57.Ka6 Bd8 58.Bxd8 f5 59.c7#
Play through 202 Ding Liren games

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Ding Liren games on FoxyChess

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