That’s all for today. Be sure to check back later for a full game report and join us tomorrow for live coverage of the tie-breakers.
Nepo: ‘[36. ... e5?!] was a shocking moment’
Nepomniachtchi is asked about 36. ... e5?!, the fateful move which erased his overwhelming edge.
“I guess e5 is the move which spoils the advantage,” he says. “I guess rb3 instead of e5, white is just paralyzed. I just didn’t see it.”
Updated
Game 14 is an 90-move draw!
Both players make a few more moves (86. Kf2 Rg4 87. Ra5 Rxh4 88. Kf3 Ke7 89. Rf5 Ke6 90. Rxf4 Rxf4+) before the players shake hands! It’s all over after a marathon 6hr 35min, the longest game of this year’s world championship match by duration and number of moves!
Updated
The next sequence ends with a pawn exchange (78. Kf1 Rc3 79. Kf2 Re3 80. Kg2 Kd7 81. Kf2 Kc7 82. e6 Kd8 83. Ra7 Ke8 84. Kg2 Rxe6 85. Rxa3 Rg6+). The handshake can’t be too far off.
On they go: 70. Ra8 Kc5 71. Ra6 Kb5 72. Ra7 Kb6 73. Ra8 Kc6 74. Ra6+ Kd7 75. Kf2 Ke7 76. Kg2 Re3 77. Kf2 Rg3. They’re playing this one out.
Ding should be able to hold this one. But it’s not going to be comfortable. He’s below five minutes on the clock, while Nepo has more than a half hour left. There’s a 30-second increment at this point, but he’s still in time danger with no margin for error. The latest: 68. Ra6+ Kb5 69. Ra7 Kb6 70. Ra8 Kc5.
Some more moves: 61. Kf3 Kd7 62. Rxf6 Rb2 63. Ra6 Rb3+ 64. Kg2 Kc7 65. f4 exf4 66. e5 Kb7 67. Ra4 Kc6. A brutal marathon for both men as the game approaches its seventh hour. Remember: there’s not a extra rest day before the tie-breakers like we saw in 2016 and 2018,
Both players have reached the second time control after 57. Ra1 58. Ke2 Kf7 59. Kf3 Ra2 60. Ke3 Ke7. But a draw by repetition may well be approaching.
Nepo is trying to squeeze out any possible winning chances from this position. But he’s no closer after 55. ... Ke7 56. Kf3 Ra2 57. Ke3 than he was a couple of hours ago.
Game 14 of this world title match has entered its sixth hour. The endgame continues with 52. Kf3 a3 53. Ra6 Kf7 54. Ke3 Ke8 55. Ke2. It all seems so straightforward from this side of the glass, where our easy access to evaluation bars and powerful supercomputers make it clear this one should be headed toward a draw. But both players, denied those creature comforts, are operating with extra measure and caution knowing everything that’s at stake.
Ding plays 50. Kg2 after nearly 23 minutes. He’s under 20 minutes with 10 moves to make until the next time control. Another flurry of moves follows: 50. … a4 51. Ra5 f6.
We’re still here. Ding Liren has spent 20 minutes (and counting) pondering his response to Nepo’s 49. … Ra1.
This looks no less like a draw after 47. ... Ra2 48. Kg3 h5 49. Ra8 Ra1. But Nepo doesn’t appear ready to settle at the moment, even with tie-breakers looming tomorrow.
Updated
More moves (44. Rc7+ Kf6 45. Rc6+ Kg7 46. Ra6 Rb2+ 47 Kf3). But the outcome of today’s game is looking more and more secure. Barring something extraordinary, we’re headed to tie-breakers tomorrow.
Nepo mulls the position as the game enters its fifth hour. The rook endgame trickles forward: 42. Rf3 Ke7 43. Rc3 a5.
I expected both of them to take a longer break before returning to the board, but they are surviving on adrenaline! #NepoDing
— Viswanathan Anand (@vishy64theking) April 29, 2023
Robert Speed checks in with a prediction via email ... and it’s not a rosy one for Nepomniachtchi:
Nepo has shown a consistent inability to play sound chess when in a match-winning position. Mentally he is not strong enough to be world champion. I believe he will come undone and lose this match. Either today or tomorrow.
Both players breeze through the time control (38. ... Rxb6 39. Rxe8+ Kxe8 40. Bb5+ Rxb5 41. Rxc3 Kd7). An extra hour is added to both clocks as a lot of material quickly comes off the board. Ding is a pawn down but should be able to hold a draw from here.
Updated
Tick tock, tick tock. Ding is under six minutes. Under five minutes. Under four minutes. Will he find it? And he does: 38. b6 is on the board!
With Ian Nepomniachtchi watching him very closely and his time running down, Ding Liren has found 38.b6!!, a very nice move that saves the game comfortably for him. pic.twitter.com/4BOKhYiolP
— Olimpiu Di Luppi (@olimpiuurcan) April 29, 2023
Updated
Nepomniachtchi plays 37. ... Rd6. Ding will be in good shape for a draw if he can find b6 here, according to the former world champion Vishy Anand. High drama in Astana!
37.Rh8 is a brilliant move if Ding has seen that 37...Rd6 has to be met by 38.b6!! Then 38...Rxb6 39.Rxe8+ Kxe8 40.Bb5+ is holding. Gripping stuff! #nepoding
— Viswanathan Anand (@vishy64theking) April 29, 2023
Says the American grandmaster Fabiano Caruana on Chess.com’s broadcast: “I don’t think Ding is going to drop the ball. He’s going to make a draw at this point. He’s stared defeat right in the eyes.”
Ding plays 37. Rh8. Nepo is back on the clock with under 15 minutes to make his next four moves until the time control.
And Nepomniachtchi has just given back his hefty advantage! After 35. Rg8+ Ke7 36. R1g3, he plays 36. ... e5?! (when Rb3 was winning). The roller-coaster continues!
Ding blunders (34. Ke2)!
Ding plays 33. Bd3 then steps away from the board. Nepomniachtchi attacks the bishop with 33. ... Rd8. Ding then plays 34. Ke2 and that appears to be a costly blunder! Ian immediately plays 34. ... Rc3.
“Ke2 was just probably a blunder,” the Russian grandmaster Daniil Dubov says on Fide’s official broadcast. “I have a feeling we will have a new world champion within the next 30 minutes.”
🚨 Huge moment alert!
— ChesscomLive (@ChesscomLive) April 29, 2023
Commentators are shocked by Ding Liren's move as the evaluation bar clearly favors Black! #NepoDing pic.twitter.com/X6v4Iju9eK
Updated
A flurry of exchanges: 30. Rcg3 Nxc5 31. bc5 Rxc5 32 Rxg7+ Kf8. That leaves Ding with an alarming number of pawn islands in his position. The evaluation bar is holding steady, but the Dutch grandmaster Anish Giri doesn’t like what he sees for Ding.
That's it folks
— Anish Giri (@anishgiri) April 29, 2023
Ding plays 29. b4 to protect his knight. Nepomniachtchi compounds the threat with 29. ... Nd7. Both players are about even on time with just under a half hour on each clock.
Ding touches his knight and puts it back. He’s obligated to move that piece under the touch-move rule. Ultimately, he goes with 27. Nc5. After some maneuvering of the rooks (27. ... Rc7 28. Rc3 Rac8), the Norwegian supercomputer Sesse has it dead even.
Irina Krush: "It's actually maybe the first time in the match that we saw someone being ready to release a piece in a square and actually changed his mind and took it back to think some more" #NepoDing pic.twitter.com/ArGPeLCOhW
— International Chess Federation (@FIDE_chess) April 29, 2023
Updated
Nepomniachtchi plays 25. Rd4. Ding offers a trade with 26. Rc4 and Nepo immediately turns it down with the accurate 26. … Rd7.
Nepomniachtchi further retreats his bishop (24. ... Be8). And Ding is finally able to pick up compensation for the g-pawn sacrifice with 25. Nxb7.
Updated
Nepomniachtchi retreats his bishop out of danger (23. ... Bc6). Ding attacks it again (24. b5). Nepo, in no hurry, considers his response. He’s been on the clock for five minutes and counting.
Nepomniachtchi takes the pawn offering with 21. Bxg2. Ding follows with the natural 22. Rg1. Nepo retreats his the bishop (22. ... Bd5) and Ding attacks it (23. e4).
Nepo plays 20. ... Bc6, placing white’s knight under threat. Ding quickly responds with 21. Nc5, sacrificing the g2 pawn. It’s unclear what the compensation will be. Perhaps the pawn on b7?
“Ding is taking crazy responsible decisions when a loss means that he loses the match,” Caruana says on the Chess.com broadcast. “It’s almost like he doesn’t want to stand the tension of having to calculate each move.”
And a spot of commentary from former world champion Vishy Anand:
Ding goes for 21.Nc5, there is a flaw in his line. He seems to have relaxed a bit early. The line 21...Bxg2 22.Rg1 Bc6! 23.b5 Bd5 24.e4 b6 isn't trivial, but not impossible to find. If Nepo finds it, then Ding is in serious trouble #nepoding
— Viswanathan Anand (@vishy64theking) April 29, 2023
Updated
Ding plays 19. Bb4, inviting a trade of dark-squared bishops. Nepo accepts (19. ... Bxb4+) and Ding recaptures (20. axb4), leaving him with double pawns on the b-file.
Ian Nepomniachtchi after Ding Liren's 19.Bb4, a bishop exchange that dents White's pawn structure. pic.twitter.com/UG4jRuXAHg
— Olimpiu Di Luppi (@olimpiuurcan) April 29, 2023
Updated
Ding completes the exchange with his knight (17. Nxe4), offering a queen trade. And the queens come off the board (17. ... Qxc2 18. Rxc2). A subtle draw offer? Nepo quickly follows with 18. ... Bd7. Ding is back on the clock with 45 minutes to make his next 22 moves before the time control: a little more than two minutes per move.
Ding has initiated a series of trades in the center. Nepo captures a knight with 16. ... Nxe4, which leaves Ding to recapture with either his queen or knight.
Nepomniachtchi plays 15. ... Nf8. Ding almost immediately answers with 16. Nge4. A bit of commentary from the Macedonian grandmaster Aleksandar Colovic:
Psychological reading of Nepo's 14...Rd8 and 15...Nf8: he's scared.#nepoding#worldchesschampionship
— Alex Colovic (@GMAlexColovic) April 29, 2023
Updated
No one at the board at the moment. Nepomniachtchi isn’t feeling much pressure at the moment, more than 20 minutes ahead on time as he considers his response to 15. Rc1.
Nepomniachtchi plays 14. ... Rd8. Ding quickly responds with 15. Rc1. The evaluation bar has nearly leveled off after tilting dangerously toward the Russian after 14. Be2!?.
Eight times before in world chess championship history the score was equal with one game to go. Only twice, there was a decisive game in this situation:
— Peter Doggers (@peterdoggers) April 29, 2023
- Karpov won game 32 in 1978
vs Korchnoi;
- Anand won game 12 in 2010 vs. Topalov.#NepoDing pic.twitter.com/7ewAN1GMIp
Ding retreats his white-squared bishop (14. Be2) after nearly 20 minutes. Another inaccuracy, according to the engines, and his attack thwarted. Says the Russian grandmaster Daniil Dubov on Fide’s official broadcast: “Still the game is very much on. Given the way they’ve played throughout the match, anything could happen.”
Ding Liren has taken more than 20 minutes considering his next move. He’s gone down more than a half-hour on time behind Nepo.
I am very concerned about Ding’s clock! 🫣 #NepoDing #WorldChessChampionship The position is not a problem. The clock is! pic.twitter.com/CHAFQnqI76
— Susan Polgar (@SusanPolgar) April 29, 2023
Nepomniachtchi plays the natural 13. ... Qc7 after an eight-minute think. That threatens the white-squared bishop and calls for a retreat (Bb3). Anything else could prove fatal for Ding. Surely he’ll spot it.
Nepomniachtchi settles on 12. ... h6. Ding answers with 13. h4. This could get exciting!
“He’s really going for it,” Caruana says on the Chess.com broadcast. “We see that objectively speaking black is doing all right, but that doesn’t mean that it’s going to be easy. We might see another wild game with evaluation swings up and down. I’m going to predict a decisive result now.”
Nepomniachtchi has settled in for his first big think of the game. He’s spent more than 10 minutes considering how to properly defend against Ding’s ambitious 12. Ng5.
Ding spends another five minutes before playing 12. Ng5 then stepping away from the board. That appears to be an inaccuracy. But the aggressive kingside attack is also a statement of intent that he’s going for the full point today. Nepomniachtchi looks as surprised as anyone as he returns to the board to mull his response.
Nigel Short, the British grandmaster who famously challenged Garry Kasparov for the world title in 1993, is happy with it.
I love 12.Ng5!, even if the engine doesn't. Here comes the drunk machine-gunner! pic.twitter.com/ZrCiTCHuce
— Nigel Short (@nigelshortchess) April 29, 2023
Updated
Ding finally settles on 11. Rd1. Nepomniachtchi quickly responds with 11. ... Be7, which the engines don’t love. There’s still plenty of time on both clocks, but it’s worth mentioning that Ding has fallen nearly 20 minutes behind his opponent after 11 moves.
Ding plays 9. Qc2 after more than 13 minutes. Nepomniachtchi quickly responds, capturing with 9. ... dxc4. Ding thinks it over for a minute or so before recapturing with 10. Bxc4. Nepomniachtchi plays 10. ... Nbd7 before walking away from the board again.
“Ding has not won this opening battle,” former world title challenger Fabiano Caruana says on Chess.com’s broadcast. “Considering that we’re very likely to go into a rapid playoff tomorrow, I think we should have a discussion about Ding’s openings. The way I see it, with the white pieces, he is completely dry at this point. He has run out of opening ideas. Maybe in classical a draw is OK, but in rapid you really want to be able to pressure with the white pieces.”
Ding appears to already be out of his prep. He’s spent more than 10 minutes and counting pondering his response to 8. ... Bxc5, head cradled in hands over the board while Nepomniachtchi comes and goes from the rest room.
Ding left the board after playing 5. Bd2. After 6. a3 Be7 7. Nf3 c5, the players exchange c-pawns (8. dxc5 Bxc5).
Updated
Game 14 is under way!
Both players are at the board for today’s game. Ding plays the Queen’s Pawn opening (1. d4), Nepomniachtchi answers with the Indian Defense (1. ... Nf6) and a normal variation of the Nimzo-Indian ensues: 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e3 O-O 5. Bd2 d5.
Ding will be playing with the favored white pieces today. It’s worth noting that most of his success over the past three weeks have come with white.
The format
Here’s a review of the format for the world championship match. It will consist of 14 classical games with each player awarded one point for a win and a half-point for a draw. Whoever reaches seven and a half points first will be declared the champion.
Both Nepomniachtchi and Ding are on six and a half points each after the first 13 games.
The time control for each game is 120 minutes for the first 40 moves, 60 minutes for the next 20 moves and then 15 minutes for the rest of the game plus an additional increment of 30 seconds per move starting on move 61.
Here’s what’s in store for tomorrow if Nepomniachtchi and Ding play to a draw today and the classical portion ends in a 7-all tie:
• A four-game rapid playoff with a 25+10 time control. A drawing of lots will decide which player starts with white.
• If still tied, the players will contest a two-game playoff with a 5+3 time control. A drawing of lots will decide which player starts with white.
• If still tied, the players will contest another two-game playoff with a 5+3 time control. A drawing of lots will decide which player starts with white.
• If still tied, the players will play 3+2 games until there is a winner. A drawing of lots will again decide who starts with white, with colors alternating after each game.
The complete official regulations can be found here.
Prelude
Hello and welcome to Game 14 of the World Chess Championship. Second-ranked Ian Nepomniachtchi of Russia and third-ranked Ding Liren of China are all square at 6½-6½ with one classical game remaining in their scheduled best-of-14-games match at the St Regis Astana Hotel for the winner’s share of a €2m ($2.2m) prize fund and the sport’s most prestigious title.
The legitimacy of that title, of course, is an open question. While this year’s championship match has featured two of the world’s top three, it’s the absence of the third which has largely neutered the stakes of the sport’s showcase event.
Magnus Carlsen, who was regarded as the world’s greatest player even before rising to the No 1 ranking more than a decade ago, has decided against defending his world title for a fifth time, citing a lack of motivation. It marks only the second time in the 137-year history of world championship matchplay that a holder has opted not to defend his crown – after American grandmaster Bobby Fischer controversially forfeited the belt in 1975.
Instead, we’ve been treated to a delicious, topsy-turvy matchup between Nepomniachtchi and Ding, even if critics including longtime world champion Garry Kasparov have branded it as an “amputated” event without the world’s best player involved.
If either player can earn a full point from today’s game, they will be declared the new world champion. If today’s game ends in a draw, the title will be decided tomorrow over a series of rapid and blitz tie-break games.
We are roughly 15 minutes from the ceremonial first move, which will be made by Sagatkhanovich Ashimbayev, the chairperson of the Senate of the Parliament of Kazakhstan.
Bryan will be here shortly. In the meantime here’s Leonard Barden’s lookahead to today’s Game 14.
