Nepo steps on the accelerator

The mercury dipped as low as -7 degrees in Astana, Kazakhstan but Ian Nepomniachtchi upped the ante, shrugging off his loss in the 4th game to score a wonderful win in the 5th game of the FIDE World Chess Championship 2023.

A crestfallen Ding Liren could never get out of the defensive mode after landing in a disadvantageous position from the opening stages. Nepomniachtchi now leads the 14-game match with a 3-2 score where the player reaching 7.5 points first would be crowned the World Chess Champion.

This match has dished up fascinating 3/5 decisive games, a rarity in World Championships where draws rule throughout. Nepomniachtchi has scored victories in games 2 and 5 while Ding was triumphant in game 4.

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Nepomniachtchi, true to his style, opened with the King-pawn opening and the resulting Ruy-Lopez opening, one of the most researched ones in centuries was clearly going his way. This was evident with the speed with which the Russian moved his pieces in the opening stages even as Ding failed to keep pace with the clock.

Initially play proceeded on the queen side where the rook file was opened but a couple of retreating moves by Ding’s knight and bishop on the 19th and 20th turn stripped him of any initiative throughout the game. Nepo (as Nepomniachtchi is referred to) on the contrary had a couple of dancing knights who exerted their influence throughout the remaining game.

Nepo’s pawn advance on the 23rd turn on the castled King’s side paved the way for him to get into an aggressive mode and roll out his pawns on the King-side. Ding desperately tried to get some sort of counterplay in the centre but by then Nepo had started smelling a winning opportunity. His pawn advance on the 33rd turn indicated that the game had started tilting in his favour. Ding on the other hand admitted that he had completely missed this crucial pawn advance.

The body language of the players by now easily conveyed the mindset of the players as Nepo paced around even as Ding kept hunching more and more over the board.

Thereafter Nepo stuck to his task and his queen, rook, knight and pawns combined beautifully to steer the game in his favour after 48 moves. Ding pondered too long for moves in the initial stages, leaving him less time to think at most critical junctures. In fact, he was trailing almost 50 minutes behind Nemo while reaching the first-time control at 40 moves.

“I tried to relax and chew my brains going into the rest day yesterday as the 4th round wasn’t exactly pleasant said Nepo” while Ding preferred to go out for a small walk and listen to music.

White: Ian Nepomniachtchi; Black: Ding Liren

Moves: 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0–0 Be7 6.d3 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.c3 0–0 9.h3 Bb7 10.a4 Na5 11.Ba2 c5 12.Bg5 h6 13.Bxf6 Bxf6 14.axb5 axb5 15.Nbd2 Nc6 16.Bd5 Rxa1 17.Qxa1 Qd7 18.Re1 Ra8 19.Qd1 Bd8 20.Nf1 Ne7 21.Bxb7 Qxb7 22.Ne3 Bb6 23.h4 Qc6 24.h5 c4 25.d4 exd4 26.Nxd4 Qc5 27.Qg4 Qe5 28.Nf3 Qe6 29.Nf5 Nxf5 30.exf5 Qf6 31.Qe4 Rb8 32.Re2 Bc5 33.g4 Qd8 34.Qd5 Kf8 35.Kf1 Rc8 36.Re4 Rb8 37.g5 hxg5 38.Rg4 Ra8 39.Nxg5 Ra1+ 40.Ke2 Qe7+ 41.Ne4 Qe8 42.Kf3 Qa8 43.Qxa8+ Rxa8 44.f6 g6 45.hxg6 fxg6 46.Rxg6 Ra2 47.Kg4 Rxb2 48.Rh6 and Black resigned.