/ Go to the mediabankRussia’s Grandmaster Ian Nepomniachtchi, left, and China’s Grandmaster Ding Liren compete in the tiebreak of the 2023 FIDE World Chess Championship Match in Astana / Go to the mediabankInternationalIndiaAfricaASTANA (Sputnik) – Chinese grandmaster Ding Liren has beaten Russian counterpart Ian Nepomniachtchi on a tiebreaker during a tournament in Astana and became 17th World Chess Champion on Sunday. After 14 games with regular time control, no champion has been revealed, so the players continued their competition on a tiebreaker, a four-game play with 25 minute restriction. After three draws, Liren won in 68 moves playing with black pieces, thus winning the tiebreaker with score 2,5-1,5. Liren is the first World Chess Champion from China. Nepomniachtchi gained his right to challenge then-reigning World Champion Magnus Carlsen after winning 2022 Candidates Tournament. However, Carlsen announced in July that he withdrew from the tournament due to lack of motivation. In effect, Liren, who was the Candidates Tournament runner-up, became Nepomniachtchi’s competition. The World Championship’s total prize fund is 2 million euros ($2.1 million). As a victor, Liren gets 1.1 million euros, and 900,000 euros go to Nepomniachtchi.
