DING Liren beat Russia’s Ian Nepomniachtchi to become the first Chinese world chess champion on Sunday.
READ: How the Philippines lost a potential world champion
The 30-year-old Chinese grandmaster won in the tiebreak through a rapid time format after their classical match ended in a 7-7 deadlock at the St. Regis Hotel in Astana, Kazakhstan.
“I feel that this was the match that reflects the deepest part of my soul,” said Ding as quoted by Chess.com.
A new world champion was crowned after five-time winner Magnus Carlsen declined to defend his 2021 title.
Ding also bagged the EUR 1.1 million top prize while Nepomniachtchi settled for EUR 900,000 after blowing a second chance to win the world title.
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