27
14:33
High threat thing
thing Liren
After 27… Qd6 a move like e4 is in the air. Jan Nepomnjaschtschi almost inevitably has to answer with g3, which makes the position a little more airy.
14:30
Ding has the easier questions to answer
While Jan Nepomnyashchi must continue to find a way out of passivity, Ding Liren has far easier questions to answer. His characters are more in tune with each other and there are far more natural traits for the Chinese. The time is still not a factor with around 15 minutes on the clock. But it could potentially be.
24
14:25
Nepo thinks
thing Liren
By 24… f5 at the latest, the position is objectively completely balanced again, although Jan Nepomnjaschtschi has to think carefully about how to continue. Since the Russian has not used up any significant time so far, he can also take the moment to calculate a little more deeply.
14:22
Nepo consolidates
Although he plays extremely fast, Jan Nepomnjaschtschi now manages to consolidate himself out of passivity with small steps. This is also due to the fact that Ding Liren does not really continue ambitiously, but plays for safety himself.
14:19
The tension in the center is released
Several figures are now swapped, which gives the very passive Russian a little more breathing room. From the point of view of the Chinese grandmaster, the position would probably have had more potential if the tension had been maintained.
14:18
Questionable retreat
Jan Nepomnjaschtschi could steer the position back into calmer and more pleasant realms if he continues with 20.Nxd5. Instead he withdraws his bishop to d2, which is at least an inaccuracy. The question is whether the Chinese can make a profit from it.
14:14
Thing at least balanced
After the Chinese has invested a few minutes to calculate more deeply, the position should at least be balanced. Perhaps the Chinese, who was able to gain some space, even have the slightly more comfortable position, since the Russian’s white-squared bishop on b1 will not be involved in the game for quite a while now.
13.
14:08
Thing with practical answer
thing Liren
All previous games continued with 13… c5. A move that Ding Liren certainly had in mind, but which he may have deliberately discarded in order to rip Jan Nepomnjaschtschi out of theory as well. Potentially with success, because after 13… Qe8 the Russian also has to think for the first time.
13.
14:06
Nepo surprises with 13. Bb1
Jan Nepomnyashchi
Both players don’t waste any time and move extremely quickly. So fast that after 13 moves Nepo already has 26 minutes and 29 seconds on the clock, which is due to the increment of ten seconds. The Russian is taking a very interesting path. With 13. Bb1, a move that has already been played three times at a high level, he makes Ding Liren think for the first time.
14:04
Another Spaniard
Jan Nepomnjaschtschi remains true to the Spanish game and chooses the Martinez Variation again with 6.d3. The moves come onto the board correspondingly quickly.
14:01
The players are back
After a short break, the players are back at the board. Will Nepo stick to his standard repertoire and will we now see a Spanish game again? Or will there be another surprise on the board?
13:55
Is the decision now?
After three of four rapid chess games as part of the tiebreaks of the 2023 World Chess Championship, Jan Nepomnjaschtschi and Ding Liren are 1.5 to 1.5. For the last time, the Russian is allowed to lead the white pieces in rapid chess with a thinking time of 25 minutes (plus a ten-second increment). If that game produces a winner, that player is the 17th World Chess Champion in history. If there is also a draw in the fourth game, the reins are tightened. A decision would then be sought in Blitzen (5+3).