FIDE World Chess Championship: Last classical game ends in draw, match heads into tiebreaks

New Delhi: The final classical game of the FIDE World Chess Championship ended in a draw after Ding Liren was able to hold Ian Nepomniachtchi in a pawn-down endgame with the white pieces. While there was a lot of speculation around the game being short one, the two grandmasters played for over five and a half hours before calling it a day. With scores tied at 7-all, the match has gone into rapid tiebreaks.

Playing another Nimzo-Indian Defense, Nepo was pushing for most of the part as Ding went to take risks and go for an attack that did not work out. However, it was a tactic spotted at the right time for the Chinese grandmaster which helped him draw the game and be there in the World Championship match.

Ding showed his intent in the opening and went for 12.Ng5 followed by 12…h6 13.h4, giving up his knight, and if black takes it, it is completely lost. Nepo went for the most accurate continuation with 13…Qc7 with a tempo on bishop on c4. Ding chose a passive move Be2 to save his light square bishop while Nepo went for Rd8, rejecting the much active b6, with an idea to fianchetto his light square bishop.

14.Bb3 threatens Nd5 as Dubov pointed out, so Black can move 14…Qc6 pic.twitter.com/GZ4zRUi3Jv

— Viswanathan Anand (@vishy64theking) April 29, 2023

In the middle game, Ding had his king in the middle of the board and he tried to counter Nepo’s attack with doubled rooks on the queen’s side with his doubled rooks on the king’s side.

On move 36, Ian went for a surprising move e5 rather than keeping the tension with Rb3 or Ra3 and he missed a tactic that helped Ding practically equalised. Ding spotted the tactic and went for 37.Rh8 with tempo on the h6 pawn and Nepo went Rd6 defending, but this gives a chance for a pawn sacrifice on b6 and go into a tactical exchange of a pair of rooks and the only pair of bishops on the board.

It seems that with 36…e5 Ian has just dropped his advantage. What a rollercoaster yet again! #NepoDing pic.twitter.com/A8QqKDzokM

— International Chess Federation (@FIDE_chess) April 29, 2023

At one point in the endgame, black gave up the pawn on f6 to activate the king and white later on found f4, giving up a pawn to create its own passed e-pawn. Both players tried to make developments refuting the repetitions in the positions but finally ended with a draw on move 90.

Ding was bit nervous or maybe calculative and on move 27 he even touched his knight but put it back, eventually he played the best move Nc5. However, he will have the white pieces in the first tiebreaks game and a chance to push for the title.