Ding Liren Signs With Chinese Esports Team, Reveals Return To Chess
The 17th World Champion Ding Liren has signed with Chinese esports organization LGD Gaming, revealing for Chess.com that he intends to return to chess in 2025.
The 32-year-old is the latest star to sign with an esports team ahead of the Esports World Cup (EWC), following GM Maxime Vachier-Lagrave's deal with Team Vitality on Tuesday, and the recent signings of GM Arjun Erigaisi (Gen.G) and GM Volodar Murzin (All Gamers Global) last week.
On Thursday, LGD Gaming announced the signing of Ding on Chinese social media platform Weibo:
We are delighted to announce that chess GM Ding Liren has officially signed with LGD Gaming Club and will be fighting alongside us in the future.
Ding Liren is a chess player from the Hangzhou Mind Sports Team. He is not only a Grandmaster, but also the 17th World Chess Champion in history and the only Chinese male world champion!
Welcome Ding Liren to become a member of this big family. We believe that we will definitely create some unique sparks together! In the future, we will go through thick and thin together and explore new horizons!
Founded in 2009, LGD Gaming is one of China's oldest esports organizations, based in Ding's hometown of Hangzhou. The team has had particular success in Dota 2, League of Legends, and Honor of Kings.
Ding, who has been on a break from competing since losing his title to GM Gukesh Dommaraju in December, reflected on his choice to join LGD Gaming in a brief email interview with Chess.com, noting that the team's Hangzhou roots played a big role. "It's a famous team that many people around me have heard of. Except myself," Ding said.
Asked about chess entering the esports world, he said: "It's funny how, when we were kids, online games were forbidden by parents. Now it's being encouraged."
It's funny how, when we were kids, online games were forbidden by parents. Now it's being encouraged.
—Ding Liren
Ding has kept a relatively low profile since the world championship in Singapore. After his loss to Gukesh, he took an extended break from competitive chess and spent time in Wenzhou, the city where he was born, according to Chinese media.
Despite the break from competing, chess has been on his mind as he was often seen replaying games online, even during family gatherings. His parents shared with Chinese media how their son spent much of the holiday season reviewing games and even playing online. This last month, Ding has been playing bughouse and Chess960/Fischer Random on his Chess.com profile Chefshouse.
Now the 32-year-old grandmaster is set to return to action. Ding confirms he will take part in the upcoming Chessable Masters, the first of two qualifying events to the EWC. "That’s what the signing is for," he noted.
Asked about his tournament plans, Ding revealed he will take part in the Grand Swiss, scheduled for Samarkand, Uzbekistan September 3-16, and the World Rapid & Blitz Championship, set for Doha, Qatar on December 26-31. "This year will be less busy," he said.
Tarjei J. Svensen is a Norwegian chess journalist who worked for some of the country's biggest media outlets and appeared on several national TV broadcasts. Between 2015 and 2019, he ran his chess website mattogpatt.no, covering chess news in Norwegian and partly in English.
In 2020, he was hired by Chess24 to cover chess news, eventually moving to Chess.com as a full-time chess journalist in 2023. He is also known for his extensive coverage of chess news on his X/Twitter account.
