Just eight days after their fateful title decider in Astana, China’s victorious Ding Liren and his vanquished Russian opponent, Ian Nepomniachtchi, are trailing in Bucharest. The Superbet Classic, which finishes in the Romanian capital on Monday, is the first leg of the St Louis-organised Grand Chess Tour with seven of the current world top 10 taking part.
Ding had considered withdrawal due to fatigue from the marathon series in Kazakhstan, and his first four games were halved before he lost to Alireza Firouzja, 19, who said: “For sure, it’s an easier world champion than Magnus.” Nepomniachtchi began well but then lost twice.
