"Ding Chilling": Fans react as Ding Liren becomes the FIDE World Chess Champion
Ding Liren has beaten Ian Nepomniachtchi of Russia to become the 17th World Chess Champion, the first Chinese to become the FIDE World Champion. The closely fought match went down to a nail-biting rapid tiebreaker after a 7-7 draw. The win also saw the decade-long reign of chess icon Magnus Carlsen at an end, with the Norwegian losing the title for the first time since 2013.
The match was live-streamed on Twitch and other online portals for the world to watch, and chess enthusiasts welcomed Liren as the new World Champion with much fanfare. One Redditor noted how Ding Liren maintained his calm and composure throughout the 14 grueling matches to clinch the title, dubbing him "Ding Chilling." The Redditor wrote:
"The absolute mental fortitude from Ding, holy sh*t. Definitely Ding Chilling."
Ding Liren becomes the first Chinese FIDE World Champion after defeating Ian Nepomniachtchi in Astana
BREAKING: GM Ding Liren clinches the 2023 FIDE World Championship!
#NepoDing
🚨 BREAKING: GM Ding Liren clinches the 2023 FIDE World Championship!🏆
After 7-7 in the classical, Ding Liren drew the first three games in the rapid playoff and won the fourth rapid game to become the new world champion. Congratulations to Ding Liren and his team! 👏 #NepoDing https://t.co/HuP12TeXrM
As mentioned, the match was closely fought with 14 straight rounds of classical chess. However, the two GMs could not be separated and were in a 7-7 deadlock after Ding Liren and Ian Nepomniachtchi won three games each, tying the other eight.
So close was the fight for the title of World Champion that even the rapid tiebreaker went till the fourth game before the deadlock was broken, with Ding emerging as the victor.
The moment Ding Liren became the FIDE World Champion 🥹🏆 https://t.co/FSu9rsVg49
The game had a prize pool of €2 million which is approximately 2.2 million USD. Ding Liren will take home about €1.1 million, with Ian Nepomniachtchi getting €900,000.
Social Media Reactions to Liren's Win
Fans and chess enthusiasts worldwide tuned in to watch the two highly-rated players duke it for the title of World Champion. They were thrilled as Ding Liren won the 2023 Classical World Chess Championship in Astana, unseating Magnus Carlsen.
Many fans quickly noted that he is the first Chinese player to ever hold the title, with some predicting a growth in the game's popularity in the country following Liren's win.
Ding Liren is the deserved 2023 FIDE World Champion, the first World Champion from China in the history of the game. https://t.co/gRuX11luVL
Dünya Satranç Şampiyonu Ding Liren! https://t.co/ru0ESEdpbq
After 10 long years, we have a new World Champion among us - DING LIREN!! Amidst a huge battle of nerves, Ding pulled off an amazing victory with the Black pieces against Ian Nepomniachtchi in the Rapid tiebreaks. Ding Liren wins the @FIDE_chess World Championship 2023! https://t.co/stmdCHI9ag
Others noted that considering the current Women's World Chess Champion is Ju Wenjun, who also hails from China, both the titles are currently held by the country.
Ding Liren, the first Chinese player to hold the title, is the new world chess champion. This marks a historic moment as both the men's and women's world champions in chess are now from China. https://t.co/UrKWLW48cs
: FIDE (l: Stev Bonhage)
Ding Liren is the new World Champion!!!!!!! 🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯
Both crowns are controlled by China now!!!!!!! 🇨🇳🇨🇳🇨🇳🇨🇳🇨🇳 👏👏👏👏👏
📷: FIDE (l: Stev Bonhage)
#chess #womeninchess https://t.co/8nKnC9BtYt
Ding Liren never led the 2023 World Championship until the very last moment — what a story!
#NepoDing https://t.co/IuMn1Oyu8u
Some Redditors also drew attention to the fact that Magnus Carlsen was still the best-rated chess player in the and had decided not to defend his title of World Champion last year after holding it for a decade. Some even called the title hollow, considering he is still around.