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Ding Liren
Biography
Ding Liren was born on 24 October 1992 in Wenzhou, Zhejiang province, and earned the grandmaster title in 2009. He rose through China's national training system to win the Chinese Chess Championship three times, in 2009, 2011 and 2012, before establishing himself among the world's elite. Between August 2017 and November 2018 he put together a 100-game unbeaten run in classical chess — 29 wins and 71 draws without a single loss — which stood as the longest such streak in top-level history until Magnus Carlsen surpassed it in 2019. He reached his career-best FIDE rating of 2816 in November 2018 and later climbed to a peak world ranking of No. 2 in November 2021, behind only Carlsen.
Ding qualified for the 2023 World Chess Championship by finishing second, on 8/14, in the 2022 Candidates Tournament, after Carlsen chose not to defend his title. In Astana, Kazakhstan, he met Ian Nepomniachtchi in a match that finished level at 7–7 after fourteen classical games, then won the rapid tiebreak 2½–1½ to become the 17th World Chess Champion and the first from China to hold the classical title. He defended the crown in Singapore against India's Gukesh Dommaraju in the World Chess Championship 2024, losing 6½–7½ after Gukesh won the decisive fourteenth game.
Away from world championship play, Ding has won the Hainan Danzhou Super Grandmaster Tournament, the 2019 Sinquefield Cup — defeating Carlsen in a playoff — the 2019 Grand Chess Tour Finals, and the 2022 Chessable Masters online event. He has represented China at the Chess Olympiad on multiple occasions, helping the team to gold medals in 2014 and 2018.
Key achievements
- World Chess Champion, 2023–2024 — first Chinese player to hold the classical world title
- Highest classical FIDE rating: 2816 (November 2018); peak ranking world No. 2
- 100-game unbeaten streak in classical chess, August 2017 to November 2018 (29 wins, 71 draws)
- 2nd place (8/14), Candidates Tournament 2022, earning the World Championship 2023 match spot
- Chess Olympiad team gold medals with China (2014, 2018); Chinese national champion (2009, 2011, 2012)
Ratings
| Date | Milestone | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Awarded the grandmaster title | — |
| 2017–18 | 100-game unbeaten streak in classical chess | — |
| Nov 2018 | Career-high classical FIDE rating | 2816 |
| 2023 | Becomes World Chess Champion | — |
| Sep 2026 | Current rating | 2733 |
Titles
| Title | Years | Count |
|---|---|---|
| GM | Grandmaster, awarded 2009 | — |
| World Ch. | 2023 (def. Nepomniachtchi, 7–7 classical, 2½–1½ rapid tiebreak) — lost 2024 (vs Gukesh, 6½–7½) | 1× |
| Nat'l Ch. | Chinese Chess Championship: 2009, 2011, 2012 | 3× |
Classical Tournaments
| Year | Tournament | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Chinese Chess Championship | 1st |
| 2011 | Chinese Chess Championship | 1st |
| 2012 | Chinese Chess Championship | 1st |
| 2013 | Hainan Danzhou Super GM Tournament | 1st |
| 2014 | Hainan Danzhou Super GM Tournament (won tiebreak vs. Bu Xiangzhi) | 1st |
| 2019 | Sinquefield Cup (def. Carlsen in playoff) | 1st |
| 2019 | Grand Chess Tour Finals | 1st |
| 2022 | Chessable Masters (online) | 1st |
| 2022 | Candidates Tournament | 2nd |
| 2023 | World Chess Championship, Astana | Won |
| 2024 | World Chess Championship, Singapore | Runner-up |
Team Events
| Year | Event (Board) | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Chess Olympiad, Istanbul — board 3, team 4th | 7½/10 |
| 2014 | Chess Olympiad, Tromsø — board 2, team gold | 7½/10 |
| 2016 | Chess Olympiad, Baku — board 2, team 13th | 7½/10 |
| 2018 | Chess Olympiad, Batumi — board 1, team gold, individual gold (board 1) | 5½/8 |
Source: OlimpBase (olimpbase.org) individual Olympiad records, cross-checked with Wikipedia.
Read more on Wikipedia or view his FIDE profile.