Photo: Stev Bonhage

World Champion Ding Liren is a symbol of perseverance in chess. Rising from humble beginnings in the chess-loving city of Wenzhou, his journey to the world title is marked by numerous accomplishments and firsts, as well as significant challenges.

Born on October 24, 1992, in China, Ding was introduced to chess by his mother at the age of four. Destiny seemed to favor him, as he was coached early on by Chen Lixing, who also trained former Women's World Champion Zhu Chen. This led to Ding's first notable successes on the global chess stage: tying for first place in both the Under-10 and Under-12 World Youth Championships (2003, 2004), though finishing second on tiebreaks in both events.

In 2009, at just 16 years old, Ding became the youngest-ever Chinese champion, announcing to the world what was to come. Thanks to his stellar performance at the national championship, he earned the Grandmaster title later that year. He would go on to win the Chinese championship two more times, in 2011 and 2012.

Photo: Andreas Kontokanis

After conquering the national scene, Ding set his sights on the global stage. In 2014, he helped China win a gold medal at the Chess Olympiad, and again in 2015 at the World Team Championships. That same year, he became only the second Chinese player, after Wang Yue, to enter the world’s top 10.

Ding’s consistent, solid play led him to the finals of the 2017 and 2019 Chess World Cups, though he fell short in both. Despite these setbacks, his reputation as a world-class player continued to grow.

Photo: Kirill Merkuryev

A major milestone came in 2018 when Ding won individual and team gold at the 43rd Chess Olympiad. That year, he also became the first Chinese player to surpass a 2800 Elo rating, peaking at 2816—the joint tenth highest in chess history. His strong, consistent play earned him a reputation as one of the toughest players to beat. From August 2017 to November 2018, Ding went unbeaten in 100 consecutive classical games, a streak broken only by Magnus Carlsen in 2019.

Though 2018 marked the height of Ding’s success, it also introduced new challenges. In his first shot at the world title during the 2018 Candidates Tournament in Berlin, he drew 13 of his 14 games, winning just one. He silenced critics the following year by winning the Sinquefield Cup with a performance rating of 2845, securing the 2019 Grand Chess Tour title.

Photo: St-Louis Chess Club | Lennart Ootes

Ding's second attempt at the Candidates Tournament came in 2020 in Yekaterinburg, Russia, just as the COVID-19 pandemic began. Despite being one of the favorites, he secured only 2.5 points after seven rounds before the tournament was postponed due to the pandemic. When it resumed in April 2021, Ding improved his form, winning his final three games to finish with 7 points, placing fifth overall.

His real shot at the title came in 2022 at his third Candidates Tournament in Madrid. Despite an underwhelming start, Ding found his stride in the second half, securing key wins over Fabiano Caruana and Hikaru Nakamura to finish second behind Ian Nepomniachtchi. Under normal circumstances, this would not have qualified him for the World Championship match, but with Magnus Carlsen stepping down, Ding found himself in a championship match against Nepomniachtchi.

The World Championship match in Astana, Kazakhstan, was closely contested. After 14 classical games, the score was tied 7-7, leading to a rapid tiebreak, where Ding triumphed 2½-1½, becoming the first Chinese player to win the Classical World Chess Championship.

Photo: David Llada

However, his monumental achievement in 2023 was soon overshadowed by personal struggles. After winning the title, Ding took a nine-month break from chess in 2024 to focus on his mental health, citing personal difficulties and depression. He skipped major events during this time but returned to competition later that year at the Tata Steel tournament and the Olympiad, showing that he remains a formidable presence in the chess world.

In an interview before the World Championship match, Ding reflected on his state of mind: “My current state is neither exceptionally good nor bad, as I’ve felt over the past one and a half years. I’ve moved past the deepest or worst moments. I know I’ve been playing great chess—I just couldn’t win certain positions. I still believe I can turn that around, maybe during the match.”

Photo: Mark Livshitz

Ding’s mental strength and resilience have defined his career. As he faces rivals whose recent performances have been more consistent, only time will tell if he can maintain his reign as World Champion. Regardless of the outcome, Ding Liren has secured his place among the greatest names in modern chess.

Written by Milan Dinic

A piece about the Challenger, Gukesh D, is coming next week