Welcome to the opening ceremony of the Ian Nepomniachtchi vs Ding Liren, aka Nepo – Ding final match of the World Chess Championship 2023! We will cover all day long the events from Madrid, where the battles start today at 15:00 CET. The news will appear here on this live blog, time stamped at reverse chronological order.
Chairs were tried, walls were stared at, and photo session taken. Initial reports show Ding Liren is happy with the food in Astana, while he says “I am fully prepared and not nervous at all”. Now Ding Liren comments on Magnus Carlsen, “My favorite chess player is Carlsen. I think Carlsen is the strongest chess player in this era.” See more on Chessdom facebook
Parallel today: Caruana – Nakamura from the Chessable Masters 2023 / Fagernes Chess 2023 / 20+ live events here
