Ding Liren Ready For Tata: 'I Feel Much Better Than Before'

World Champion Ding Liren seems ready and eager to return to the chessboard for his first classical chess tournament in eight months. "I am much better than maybe two or three months ago," he said in an interview with Chess.com, a few days ahead of the Tata Steel Chess Tournament.

Sitting in front of his computer in Hangzhou, China, Ding made a cheerful impression. A few days before, he had accepted my interview request right away, as if he were ready not only for more chess, but also for new media attention. I was glad that he answered my first question, which in this case was more than just a customary way to start the conversation, rather positively: "I'm good. Much better than before."

I'm good. Much better than before.

Our Zoom call happened two months after Ding revealed that he had been struggling with illness for some time. Also during our talk, he wasn't eager to go into detail but noted: "I spent a lot of time recovering. It was psychological, not physical. Now I can say I am much better than maybe two or three months ago."

Ding's mental problems were likely related to the aftermath of his world championship, which he won after a dramatic tiebreak in April 2023 in Astana, Kazakhstan. He was involved in many interviews and other activities in China, even visiting his former high school to talk to and inspire the pupils there. "I felt pressure from everywhere," he said. "But that's just one side. It's more complicated, but I don't want to say too much."

With just nine classical games at the Superbet Chess Classic in May 2023, Ding has been one of the least active world champions after winning the title, barring the erratic GM Bobby Fischer. Last weekend, he played the Chinese Chess King Competition, a rapid event in Chengdu. It was a warm-up event for Wijk aan Zee and the first time he had touched the wooden pieces in 236 days.

"I felt excited before the tournament but exhausted after," said Ding, who finished in a disappointing fourth place, losing to GM Wang Hao in the semifinal and then to his good friend GM Wei Yi in the consolation final. Below are his games for replay:

It gave him some doubts about Wijk aan Zee. "Mentally I am ready, but I am not sure if I can show my best chess," Ding said. "Physically I am fine; I think I can compete in these very long tournaments. But I am excited, because it is a chance to test my strength right now."

Ding will be arriving in Wijk aan Zee on Thursday as the top seed, but he doesn't see himself as the tournament favorite. "No, I don't think so," he said with a smile. "I am not so confident about my strength. Also, I have the crown, so there will be more cameras on me, which brings extra pressure."

I have the crown, so there will be more cameras on me, which brings extra pressure.

The field in Wijk aan Zee includes five players who qualified for the FIDE Candidates Tournament: GMs Ian Nepomniachtchi, Alireza Firouzja, Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu, Vidit Santosh Gujrathi, and Gukesh Dommaraju. Asked who his favorite to win the tournament is, Ding named a player who narrowly missed out on the Candidates: 2023 winner GM Anish Giri.

And what about the Candidates? "Fabiano Caruana is the favorite there, because he has been playing very good chess, but if you ask me for my favorite opponent, I would say Firouzja, because of his dynamic style," Ding said. "And he proved himself in his last Swiss tournament, when he won seven games in a row, which is quite difficult to achieve."

If you ask me for my favorite opponent, I would say Firouzja, because of his dynamic style.

A world championship match between Ding and Firouzja would definitely be an exciting one. In 2019, Ding eliminated the French-Iranian prodigy in the third round of the FIDE World Cup, where he finished second himself. At the Superbet tournament in May, Firouzja won their individual game. Ding: "He is a dangerous opponent but also quite fun to play against."

Asked whether his world title feels different without GM Magnus Carlsen participating in the world championship cycle, Ding answered negatively. "No, the world championship is the world championship. But I wish he was playing, and I hope he will come back to fight for the title. Maybe if the format changes, one day he will come back."

Ding himself is not a fan of Carlsen's suggestion to make the games shorter, saying (with a big smile): "I think it's quite normal to play classical to decide the classical world champion; I think it's a very classical way to do it."

I think it's quite normal to play classical to decide the classical world champion; I think it's a very classical way to do it.

In fact, if it were up to Ding, we could even return to the old days where a match could last 24 games: "Actually for me that's also fine because the last time in Astana I really enjoyed the event and wished it had lasted even longer."

Ding didn't have a strong opinion about the chaotic month of December, when both the race for the FIDE Circuit spot and the rating spot were influenced by last-minute tournaments. "I qualified myself by rating," he noted right away. When he was in danger of not qualifying for the 2022 Candidates for not having played enough rated games, Ding played a couple of events, including a somewhat controversial tournament against four players shortly before the deadline, scoring three wins and a draw against each.

"There is a video recorded of it so I can prove that there was nothing wrong with it," he said. "Also, I am very proud about my performance since they are not nobodies; they are quite talented players. They also won the World Team Championship later that year."

Whereas he worked with GM Richard Rapport before and during his world championship match, Ding said "it's a secret" who his second is in Wijk aan Zee. I wouldn't be surprised if he will be working closely with another participant, his good friend Wei Yi (unless they will both be playing for tournament victory, perhaps).

Before his match with Nepomniachtchi, Ding had received a poem written by Wei which described the two of them, and Ding said he had tears in his eyes when he saw it. Below is my attempt at a translation, even rhyming with the help of ChatGPT:

In the quiet month of April, an old friend traveled thousands of miles.
The caged bird flies high, the pond fish swims deeply into the river.
Though our hometown is far, why worry when together we roam?
Human affairs often err, days pass, and troubles loom.
Only in the realm of black and white, purity transcends schemes,
March forward to the enemy's lines, with determination, no retreat it seems.
Awaiting your return on the 26th, we'll revel until the night consumes,
Rest fully after your homecoming, as in intoxication we resume.

During our call, Ding helped me to make sure the first two lines were accurate. He explained that he was the bird going for his first title match, while Wei was the fish, who did not have many events at the time and was saving energy. As it turns out, Wei writes poems every now and then, also for other friends. Due to the language barrier, there haven't been many long interviews with Chinese chess players in the past. It's a pity, because it seems there's a profound wisdom that we might be missing out on.

Take Ding himself. During his world championship, he took Madness and Civilization by the French philosopher Michel Foucault to Astana. "It helped me to understand our different roles," he said. "Rapport thinks more like an artist. He has very original and creative ways of thinking. So he is the madness, while I think more like a philosopher sometimes."

Meanwhile, that philosopher likes football too, with Juventus being his favorite club and Federico Chiesa his favorite player. He and Rapport also discovered a joint love for Western rock songs such as Bob Dylan's "Blowing in the Wind," or John Denver's "Take Me Home, Country Roads." A Chinese song he likes is Pu Shu's "Empty Sailboats." 

Ding is a man with many interests, which I suspected was the reason why he revealed last year that he was considering retiring from chess if he lost his match with Nepomniachtchi. "I also considered retiring afterward!" he corrected me. "I was thinking of retiring after the Asian Games [in late September - PD]. "I qualified, but in the end I did not play in the Asian Games, so I did not retire."

That's a relief, and the same can be said for his future plans. "I would like to win more titles, more tournaments. And I will defend my world title; the fans don't need to be worried."

I will defend my world title; the fans don't need to be worried.

Shortly before ending the Zoom call, Ding apologized for some of the misunderstandings we had: "I haven't spoken English for months!" It further underlined his modest and kind nature. Whether his chess will be rusty as well is something we will see this Saturday. The Tata Steel Chess Tournament's first round is on January 13, 2024, starting at 8:15 a.m. ET / 14:15 CET / 6:45 p.m. IST. The games and live broadcast can be followed here.

Related:

• 2024 Tata Steel Chess: World Champion Ding Returns, Carlsen Missing
• Ding Reveals Reason For Absence, Expects Comeback In 2024
• Ding Liren Interview: 'I Don't Want To Be Famous'