On the last day of April, under the glass dome of the Wyndham Garden Astana in Kazakhstan, Chinese chess player Ding Liren defeated Russian player Nepomniachtchi in the final round of a four-round rapid chess playoff to become the 17th "World Chess Champion" since the first champion of modern international chess in 1886, and the first "World Chess Champion" from China.
It has been a long and arduous journey for Ding Liren.
Born in October 1992 in Wenzhou, Zhejiang, a city renowned for its chess culture, he showed exceptional talent at a young age. He was the first Chinese chess player to break through the Elo mark of 2800 on the world chess ranking by FIDE, set a world record of 100 consecutive unbeaten slow games, and even defeated Magnus Carlsen, the 16th World Chess Champion.
In 2018 and 2020, Ding Liren made it to the FIDE Candidates Tournament by finishing as the runner-up in the FIDE World Cup, achieving fourth and sixth place, respectively. These two experiences planted the seeds in his mind to strive for becoming the "World Chess Champion".
On the occasion of World Chess Day on July 20, 2022, while the world is celebrating, the reigning world chess champion, Magnus Carlsen, announced that he will not seek to defend his title, meaning that the 2023 FIDE World Championship will feature the winners of the Candidates Tournament, Nepomniachtchi and Ding Liren.
This marks the first opportunity for a Chinese male chess player to contend for the world championship.
Ding Liren's journey to the top was not an easy one. He faced numerous setbacks, including missing out on qualifying matches, but managed to make it to the Candidate Tournament as a replacement. He started off slow in the Candidate Tournament but managed to finish second. Later, he unexpectedly qualified for the World Chess Championship and faced several moments where he was behind in the game but managed to catch up and turn things around. He never wasted any opportunity, no matter how small. In the end, he proved that "luck favors the prepared".
Ding Liren finally crowned himself as the "World Chess Champion", and China's 35-year-old "Four Steps" strategy had finally paid off: first winning the women's individual world championship, then the women's team world championship, followed by the men's team entering the top ranks of the world championships, and finally, winning the men's individual world championship.
The last piece of the puzzle for the "Grand Slam" of world chess champions was completed by Ding's victory, making the Chinese team one of only three superpowers in the world to have accomplished this feat. From Liu Wenzhe and Qi Jingxuan in the early years to Xie Jun, Ye Jiangchuan, Xu Jun, and now, Hou Yifan, Ju Wenjun, and Ding Liren, generations of top-notch Chinese players have never stopped striving for the summit.
Ding Liren's tumultuous journey to the top is a microcosm of China's chess development over the past 30 years. More than two decades ago, a young boy, after watching Xie Jun's chess game, became determined to become a top chess player. Now, thanks to Ding's championship victory, countless young people will likely be inspired to follow in his footsteps and enter the world of international chess.
特别报道｜丁立人，中国首位“世界棋王”是如何炼成的
4月的最后一天，哈萨克斯坦阿斯塔纳冬季花园的玻璃穹顶下，中国棋手丁立人在四盘快棋加赛的最后一盘力克俄罗斯棋手涅波姆尼亚奇，成为1886年现代国际象棋第一位世界冠军诞生迄今的第17位“世界棋王”，也是第一位来自中国的“世界棋王”。
这一路，比任何人想象的都更为漫长。
丁立人1992年10月出生于有着“国际象棋之城”的美誉的浙江温州。丁立人早早就展露出过人的天赋，他是首位突破2800分的中国棋手，创造过100盘慢棋不败的世界纪录，还曾经击败“世界棋王”卡尔森。
在2018年和2020年两度凭借世界杯亚军晋级候选人赛，丁立人分别获得第四名和第六名。这两次参赛经历已在他心中埋下了冲击“世界棋王”挑战权的种子。
2022年，当世界各地正庆祝7月20日世界国象日之际，时任世界冠军卡尔森宣布他将不再争取卫冕，这意味着2023年世界冠军赛的双方将是候选人赛的冠军涅波与亚军丁立人。
这是中国男子国象棋手第一次有机会争夺世界冠军。
从频频错过资格赛，到递补进入候选人赛；从候选人赛的低开高走夺亚军，到亚军意外递补获得世界冠军赛资格；三度落后三度追平，每每命悬一线，却总能起死回生。这一路丁立人没有浪费每一个看似不是机会的机会，最终证明了“幸运女神更青睐有准备的人”。
丁立人如愿加冕“世界棋王”，中国国象人35年的“四步走”战略终于大功告成：先夺得女子个人世界冠军，再冲击女子团体世界冠军，接着是男子团队进入世界赛前列，最后夺得男子个人世界好名次。
世界冠军“大满贯”的最后一块拼图被丁立人的夺冠圆满填上，中国队成了世界仅有的三个完成这一伟业的超级强队之一。从早年的刘文哲、戚惊萱，到谢军、叶江川、徐俊，再到如今的侯逸凡、居文君、丁立人，一代代国手们从未停止勇攀高峰的步伐。
丁立人的这趟无比崎岖、一波三折的夺冠之旅，恰也是中国国象这三十年发展的缩影写照。20多年前，年幼的丁立人在现场观摩了谢军的棋赛后，坚定了成为顶级棋手的梦想。如今，又将有无数青少年将因为丁立人的夺冠，就此埋下走进国际象棋世界的种子。(更多新闻资讯，请关注羊城派 pai.ycwb.com)
文 | 羊城晚报全媒体记者 赵亮晨
图片 | 新华社
翻译 | 刘佳慧
来源 | 羊城晚报·羊城派
责编 | 戚美青
校对 | 赵丹丹