In the longest game of the World Championship match, so far, Russian chess grandmaster Ian Nepomniachtchi, on Friday, April 21, maintained the lead with 5:4, after 82 moves and nearly six hours of play in game nine.
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After the fierce battle on Tuesday, April 18, game nine was the calm after the storm, but the tension on Friday eventually petered out to a draw, leaving Nepomniachtchi one point ahead of China’s Ding Liren with five games remaining.
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The players had reached a dead draw by move 50 but Nepomniachtchi decided to test his opponent for another 32 moves.
"The game started slowly, but the position that transpired on the board had a lot of venom in it. Unlike in previous games, for the first time, Ding was the one who was with some advantage on the clock early on,” reads a brief post match statement by the International Chess Federation (FIDE).
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"In the popular Berlin variation of the Ruy Lopez, the two played a familiar line leading to a mostly calm, positional debate on the board. Nepomniachtchi, who played as White, went for an attack on the kingside and sacrificed a pawn for the initiative. At one point, it started looking dangerous for Black. Ding was defending solidly and countered on the queenside, forcing White to re-evaluate his chances for a victory. Despite having to defend, it seemed that Ding was more comfortable and played with more ease than his opponent.”
As the game progressed, it is noted, Nepomniachtchi made a few imprecise moves, leading to a mostly even position. They then proceeded to simplify the position by exchanging heavy pieces, White regained his pawn and the two reached an even position. In the end, Black conceded a pawn to solidify a drawn rook and knight endgame.
"Nepomniachtchi decided to test Ding, despite the position being a dead draw. After an exchange of rooks on move 52, Nepomniachtchi had an extra pawn and was pushing in an even knight endgame. Ding was walking a thin line in his defence but managed to hold.”
After the rest day on Saturday, game 10 is scheduled for Sunday, April 23, at 3 PM Astana time.