Exactly sixty years ago, as it happened in 2023 between Ding LIren and Ian Nepomniachtchi, Tigran Petrosian opposed Mikhail Botvinnik for the FIDE World Championship Chess Championship. The victors of both championships, Ding and Petrosian, were considered underdogs. Yet they both triumphed on the biggest stage of all.
Petrosian lost the first game to his opponent, whilst Ding scrambled a “wobbly” draw to his, according to an international journalist who was present at the championship at Astana. The first game of a World Championship Match essentially gives confidence to the player who has the upper hand, and impetus to the one who wins the first game.
The Ding vs Nepomniachtchi match was a close encounter, providing a result only during the rapid phase. Sixty years ago, Petrosian had defeated Botvinnik by a +5 -2 =15, two games early in the 24-game match.
Ding is the opposite to Petrosian in aspects of playing technique. Petrosian’s style was, if anything, colourless, according to former New York Times chess columnist Harold Schonberg. It earned him the sobriquet “the drawing master”. He was a very hard man to beat. When Bobby Fischer had arrived like a tornado during his final Candidates Matches (he toppled Taimanov 6-0 and Larsen 6-0 ), it was Petrosian who scored draws and a win against Fischer to stop his continuous winning streak.
Ding is by nature an attacking player in contrast to Petrosian, and he is young. I expect exciting games from him.
Chess game
White: Dommaraju Gukesh
Black: Abhinanyu Misra
Event : 2023 TePe Sigeman & Co, Malmo, Sweden, May 8
Type of Game: Sicilian Defence: Najdorf Variation
1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Nb3 e6 7. g4 b5
8. a3 Bb7 9. Bg2 Nfd7 10. h4 Nc6 11. Bg5 Be7 12. Bxe7 Qxe7 13. Qd2 Nc5
14. O-O-O Rd8 15. Kb1 O-O 16. f4 b4 17. axb4 Nxb3 18. cxb3 Nxb4 19. Qe3 Qc7 20. h5 Qc5 21. Qd2 Bc6 22. g5 d5 23. h6 g6 24. Qd4 Qxd4 25. Rxd4 a5
26. Rhd1 f6 27. gxf6 Rxf6 28. Bh3 Re8 29. e5 Rf7 30. Rc1 Bd7 31. Na4 Nc6
32. Rd2 Rxf4 33. Nc5 Nb8 34. Rdc2 Rh4 35. Nxd7 Nxd7 36. Rc8 Rxc8
37. Bxe6+Kf8 38. Rxc8+ Ke7 39. Bxd5 Nxe5 40. Ra8 Rxh6 41. Rxa5 Rh2
42. Ka2. ½-½ . Draw.
