Ding Liren is a name known to all Indian sports fans, as it was the Chinese GM from whom D Gukesh stole the World Championship title on December, 2024. The former world champion was recently removed from FIDE’s rating list due to not meeting the eligibility criteria after playing too few games.
Liren, who hasn’t featured in much competitions since his defeat to Gukesh, has also publicly claimed in the past that he deals with depression, and it has affected his playing approach.
Ding Liren shares update
Speaking to Jonathan Zhi in an interview recently, he revealed that he is actually happy with his ‘current situation’.
“I quite enjoy my current situation. What I mean is, being a player with an inactive rating, who seldom participates in elite invitationals. I’m enjoying this rare moment of leisure,” he said.
After his win against Ian Nepomniachtchi in the 2023 World C’ship, he participated in the GCT Superbet Chess Classic in Romania in May. He finished in eighth position, and then took a nine-month break due to his fight with depression.
Now he is on another long break, but does he still play chess regularly?
“I keep up playing the occasional game online; it doesn’t require arduous pre-game preparation, just undivided concentration in the moment. The process itself is rewarding,” he said.
Speaking on his love for chess throughout his career, he said, “Probably the same all along. Except for a brief period, I’ve always carefully protected this love. As a player, I’m not competing that often. I’ve set aside enough time for myself to rest. And in the last few years, I changed my training methods, allowing me to continue more sustainably and enduringly.”
In 2024, Liren lost the World C’ship to Gukesh with a 6 1/2 score against the Indian GM’s 7 1/2. In the decisive game 14, he made a huge blunder in the endgame, which allowed Gukesh to force a trade of two pieces, while down a pawn. It chaged a game heading to a draw, into a win for Gukesh.
