The case of the disappearing world champion may (or may not) be about to be solved. China’s Ding Liren has only competed once since he won the title five months ago, following Magnus Carlsen’s abdication. That was in Bucharest in May, where the newly crowned champion finished next to last.
Ding was scheduled to lead China’s team and also to compete in the individual chess competition at the Asian Games, to be staged in his home city of Wenzhou with the opening ceremony on Saturday, but in the run-up Chinese news media carried conflicting reports on whether he will actually appear.
