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Russia’s Nepomniachtchi, China’s Ding finish Game 11 for World Chess Crown in tie

Ian Nepomniachtchi currently leads over Ding Liren 6 to 5

ASTANA, April 24. /TASS/. Starting with white pieces on Monday, Russian Chess Grandmaster Ian Nepomniachtchi played Chinese Grandmaster Ding Liren to a draw in Game 11 of their battle to decide the new World Chess Champion.

After 11 games played to determine the 17th World Champion in chess, Nepomniachtchi currently leads over Ding 6 to 5.

They will meet each other again on April 26 for Game 12 with the Russian playing black pieces this time.

According to official regulations, posted on the FIDE (World Chess Federation) website, "the World Championship Match consists of 14 games. The player who scores 7.5 points or more wins the Match, and no further games are played. If the score after 14 games is equal, the winner is decided on a tiebreak."

FIDE stated earlier that "Champion Magnus Carlsen officially declined to participate, the Match will be played between the two challengers, the winner of the 2022 Candidates Tournament, Ian Nepomniachtchi, and the runner-up, Ding Liren."

On July 20, 2022, Magnus Carlsen, the Norwegian Chess Grandmaster and reigning world champion, refused to participate in a match for the world chess crown against Russia’s Ian Nepomniachtchi, saying at that time that he was "not motivated to play another match" and simply felt that he did not "have a lot to gain."

Following Carlsen’s withdrawal last year, Nepomniachtchi was slated to face China’s Ding Liren, who was his runner-up at the 2022 Candidates Chess Tournament.

The battle for the 2023 World Chess Crown between Russia’s Ian Nepomniachtchi and China’s Ding Liren is being hosted by the capital of Kazakhstan, Astana.

Nepomniachtchi, 32, is playing for the world chess crown for the second time. In 2021, he lost to Norway’s Magnus Carlsen 3.5-7.5. He won the European title in 2010 and won the World Team Championships as a member of the Russian team in 2013 and 2019. Apart from that, he is a two-time Russian champion (2010, 2020).

Ding Liren, 30, won the Grand Chess Tour in 2019, and is a three-time Chinese Chess Champion: in 2009, 2011 and 2012.

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