Ding Liren (right) and Aronian play against each other in the match. Xinhua News Agency Photo by Tamuna
Wenzhou boy Ding Liren lost to Armenia's first master Aronian in the two quick chess games in the final of the 2017 FIDE Chess World Cup held on the evening of September 27, Beijing time, and finally won the second place with a 2:4 score.
Despite not winning the championship, Ding Liren set the best result for a Chinese player in the Chess World Cup, and together with Aronijan, he won the ticket to the Chess King Candidate Competition.
Ding Liren is only 25 years old, but he is now the first place in China's grade score. In the first 4 slow chess matches of the Chess World Cup final, Ding Li and Aronian all ended in a draw, and the two sides were divided into 2:2. According to the rules, both sides need to play a "25+10" (25 minutes in the first game, plus 10 seconds per move) fast chess match.
In the first set, Aroniyan took the initiative shortly after the start of the game, although Xiaoding seized on the opponent's mistake to save the situation, but because the first half of the set consumed a lot of time, he fell into a time panic, and finally could only lose the momentum. Xiao Ding, who fought backwaters, played a game of chess quickly in the first half of the second game, trying to suppress the opponent in time, but at the critical moment, he was eager to win, but he was counterattacked by the other side and lost again.
Despite losing the final, Xiaoding continued to set new record for Chinese chess from the beginning of his promotion to the final four, and eventually he became the first Chinese chess player in history to qualify for the World Championship Candidate Tournament. Ye Jiangchuan, head coach of the Chinese national chess team, said: "Ding Liren's second place in the World Cup this time is a height that has never been higher for Chinese chess, although it has not reached the final goal, Xiaoding has built confidence for himself, including Chinese male chess players. ”
Although the Chess World Cup is a big tournament organized by the Fidesia, the chess player who wins the World Cup cannot be called the "chess king". The chess champion must come from the chess king candidate tournament.
The Chess King Candidate Tournament is held every two years, and the 8 players who have qualified for the candidacy will compete in 14 rounds of double rounds, and the final winner can qualify for the Chess King Challenge, and the current chess king Carlson will play a juban chess duel, and finally produce a new chess champion.
In addition to Aronian and Ding Liren, who have already won the World Cup championship and runner-up, the other 6 chess champion candidates are from the top two chess players in the world ranking (Carlson is currently at the top of the world rankings, so the participating players will be extended to two or three), the top two overall results of the World Grand Prix and the runner-up of the last Chess King Challenge, plus the designated wild card players in the host country.
This process is very similar to the game's upgrade to fight monsters, and finally the boss battle routine, but the chess game based on the competition intelligence is far more complex and more difficult than the game. The Chess Championship will begin in March next year.