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While world chess No. 1 Magnus Carlsen worries that Ding Liren may be ‘permanently broken,’ the Chinese grandmaster plans to turn things around after taking a nine-month break to focus on his mental health
MANILA, Philippines – In a sport where the mind is paramount, mental woes still hit the best of them.
Reigning world chess champion Ding Liren opened up on his struggles, admitting he has not been in a great place mentally ahead of his much-awaited title defense against India’s Gukesh Dommaraju for the 2024 World Chess Championship in Singapore from November 25 to December 13.
“My current state is neither exceptionally good nor bad as I felt in the one and a half years,” Ding said in Mandarin, acknowledging the state he went through recently during an interview with Asian media.
The Chinese grandmaster shared how tough the past year had been, going through some “sort of deep or worst moments,” even as he sought professional help.
The 31-year-old took a nine-month break last year to focus on his mental health after becoming the world chess champion in May 2023.
During his break, Ding admitted he has struggled with finding motivation, hinting at possible retirement numerous times.
He resumed his professional career in January this year, underperforming in the Tata Steel Chess tournament that month before losing 10 of 13 matches in the Freestyle Chess G.O.A.T Challenge last February.
In last month’s Chess Olympiad in Budapest, Hungary, Ding was winless in eight matches, further adding concerns about his well-being ahead of the championship defense.
Despite the struggles, Ding remained confident he could turn it all around when he faces Gukesh, who, at 18 years old, is the youngest world title challenger in history.
“I know that I have been playing great chess. I just couldn’t win some of the positions,” said a calm and hopeful Ding.
“I still believe I can turn that around, maybe during the match (against Gukesh),” he added.
Ding won the 2023 world title after taking the spot of world No. 1 Magnus Carlsen, who begged off after already winning the event five times.
The all-time highest-rated Chinese chess player eventually defeated Russia’s Ian Nepomniachtchi to win the crown.
Carlsen had since questioned Ding’s ability to defend the championship, implying he might only be a shell of his former self once his match against Gukesh rolls around.
“The question is whether he is sort of permanently broken from the last world championship that he played. I’m not sure, but I think there is a possibility that he could be,” Carlsen said in a recent interview.
However, Ding wants to focus on the present as he remains upbeat about his everyday life with less than two months left before his world title defense.
“Life goes on as normal. I still stay at home; nothing has really changed… I’m still working on myself,” Ding shared.
“My chess career might not have gone so well in the last one and a half years, but I believe that there will be a turning point soon.” – Rappler.com
