Ding Liren crossed the 2700-rating barrier back in 2012, and was soon regarded as one of the potential challengers for the world title. A week from now, the soft-spoken grandmaster from Wenzhou might become the new world chess champion. Thus, this is a good time to reminisce on his most spectacular victory. In November 2017, at the Chinese League, Ding played a stunning tactical combination and crowned it with a brilliant king hunt. Robert Ris examines the game in a 23-minute video. | Photo: Amruta Mokal
The young Uzbek team winning this year’s Olympiad came as a pleasant surprise, but it is not an isolated example in the recent shift of world chess power. Uzbek boys, Kazakh girls, Azeri youth, Chinese, Indian and Iranian young phenoms ever more frequently lit the chess sky. What do their countries have in common? They all once lined the Silk Road.
China, MNA | China won the 2022 Men's World Team Chess Championship after beating the reigning Chess Olympiad champion Uzbekistan in the final here on Friday.