Ding defeats Carlsen with a brilliant kingwalk

Featured is a brilliant king walk by Ding Liren against Magnus Carlsen from the 2019 Tata Steel Chess Rapid & Blitz. The time controls for this game were 5 minutes with a 2-second increment. The opening is a Ruy Lopez, Delayed Exchange variation. Does anything happen to grab your attention about the position after Ding's 26th move? The position made me question if it is possible to improve upon Ding's brilliant idea. As black, it may be worthwhile to keep white guessing which side the black king will ultimately castle.
Image of Ding Liren in thumbnail by Lennart Ootes
lennartootes.com
I'm a self-taught National Master in chess out of Pennsylvania, USA who was introduced to the game by my father in 1988 at the age of 8. The purpose of this channel is to share my knowledge of chess to help others improve their game. I enjoy continuing to improve my understanding of this great game, albeit slowly. Consider subscribing here on KZbin for frequent content, and/or connecting via any or all of the below social medias. Your support is greatly appreciated. Take care, bye. :)
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[@PerceivedREALITY999]

My computer beat me in chess. But then I beat it in chess boxing.

[@ChessNetwork]

That's awesome! Continued success. 😎

[@chrisissick3147]

Lol

[@PerceivedREALITY999]

@@ChessNetwork I'm rapidly getting better at chess while watching your great videos and my boxing skills are impeccable.

[@brycepowell6639]

I lost in chess boxing. It beat me before round 1 of boxing...

[@PerceivedREALITY999]

@@brycepowell6639 I know, it sucks when that happens. Happened to me once. My winning strategy is to survive until the boxing round. That's when I get to play my mate in one "punch".

[@gbu32]

Walk On By - Dionne Warwick - That's all that I have left so let me hide. Great Video. Keep up the good work.

[@PerceivedREALITY999]

Thanks Jerry, you continue to upload quality content.

[@jamesnotsmith1465]

Very clear presentation of possibilities. I like your pace of presentation. Most channel's hosts talk too fast and the game board progresses too rapidly for me to keep up. I often end up reducing the video speed and/or jumping backward in the video multiple times to understand the action. I managed to keep up with you in real time, in one viewing. Thanks. I am now a subscriber.

[@ChessNetwork]

👍

[@James-vc1kc]

This is the third time now that I’ve seen a game where Ding destroys Magnus while doing a king walk. Is Ding just built different or what

[@looinrims]

Ding isn’t world chess champ, he’s a chess wizard

[@fudgyboo]

The chess content you upload is so refreshing, Jerry. Always happy to see a post from you. Cheers

[@retrospect]

This was awesome! Thanks for the upload 😊

[@Pathravuong]

Watched your videos back in the day after 4 months of searching I finally found your channel again

[@nickcellino1503]

Another wonderful video. You are quickly becoming my favorite analyst.

[@d4n_vids]

Awesome video. I've watched you for *years* and no personality on this damn website matches your calm tone and knack for pulling such odd, insightful lessons from the games you cover.

[@JackOfAllTrades1337]

Cool to see this interesting piece of chess history now that ding is so good

[@JackOfAllTrades1337]

Was and still is - so popular perhaps

[@siweiguo5865]

I mean he's champion now but I would argue he was a fair bit stronger when this game was played

[@costaran]

greatest chess content on yt. ty jerry

[@joseraulcapablanca8564]

Very interesting idea I had remembered this great win by Ding, but your idea gave me food for thought. Thanks Jerry

[@DustyCrate]

Great video Jerry! We love to see it.😀

[@v1991c]

Let me tell you something, roughly 10 years ago if not more I started watching chess on KZbin and Chess Network was perhaps the biggest channel, and I watched every single video that Jerry uploaded. (oh the chesscube tournaments

[@vertsang5424]

you didn't suscribe to channels you like?

[@AlintraxAika]

I love his classical game playlist, maybe if he does something similar to what naroditsky is doing the algorithm will advertise him more

[@v1991c]

@@vertsang5424 i do, but i have so many subscriptions that i rarely use the subscription channel. It is a mess. Hence why i usually use the recommendations from the home page, which tend to be really spot on

[@TraXXXtar]

@@v1991c the youtube home page is pretty accurate these days but to me, tbh, nothing says tiktok brain rot more than claiming your OWN channel subscriptions are less enticing than random recommendations from youtube. you know you can unsub to channels too right? its the same as unfollowing from tiktok similar case with me for jerry, but hes always in my subs so ive just enjoyed his vids. problem for me is, mainly more recently, ive hated his analysis. i wish it seemed like it just didnt resonate with me but if i could take a wild guess, i'd say hes losing his mind in some way, or hes trying too hard to be fresh, different, to go over things that the computer couldnt with its optimal move analysis. never seen a queen side rook move 1 row up and then cross right in front of the king as a priority move in any game ive ever seen, so im not sure what he means by whatever he said about bishop blocking it or something at around 6 minutes. then the rook moves all the way across and then he calls the bishop " "NOW" a developed piece" ??????????

[@vertsang5424]

@@v1991c well i advise you to do like me and do a spring cleaning every year or so. It's especially important for channels posting content every few days

[@jusleejolm1042]

Yup, Jerry loves his kingwalks.

[@KF1]

Congratulations on the lvl 9 hype train, Jerry. Now with this kingwalk Ding is truly the Champion you wanted.

[@CalebDiT]

Your analysis and cadence are superb. Subscribed!

[@ChessNetwork]

Thank you. Click the 🔔 and select ‘all’ to ensure you’re notified of uploads.

[@CalebDiT]

@@ChessNetwork You bet. Wouldn't want to miss 'em.

[@michaelshuey1614]

Wonderful. Thanks Jerry.

[@fredflint3998]

The articulate and detailed explanation of this game and it’s themes are utterly outstanding. Excellent video sir 😊

[@ChessNetwork]

Alllllll righty-then. 😎 Thank you

[@dinethwijayawardana8838]

Putting off studying for my midterm to watch Jerry's newest upload will always be one of my favorite activities!

[@attention_shopping]

incredible king walk. would NEVER think of that

[@ralphonyx]

Thanks a lot, Jerry. I have been loving your videos for years and I continue to get excited when I see you upload. We appreciate you

[@jonbalbon]

Thanks for another great video man!

[@TheBlurayHacker]

Always love your insights and teachings that you extract from the games. They improve me as a player. Thank you, from india.

[@paulregulski6719]

Thanks a lot ! Very concise and important piece of chess work here..

[@bluecocacola]

brilliant explanation

[@AS-i-AM]

Always a pleasure, Jerry...ty ✌❤️

[@oluwaseunadelugba4691]

Nice video, instructive as always👍🏾

[@ReFlexPoison197]

Love the videos Jerry!

[@illowrenollow423]

Kind of retro-chess: 0-0-0 or rd8 kg8/e8 f7/e8/d7/c8 😁

[@evanmorrisreiser]

highly instructive

[@sabyasacheebaruah4198]

I don't think you can save 5 moves by delaying castling and then long-castling. By short-castling sooner, Black enticed the White pieces to focus on the king-side, and only then king-walked to the queen side. White would not have committed his attack to king side had the black king just stayed non-castled

[@synchronium24]

agreed

[@jeremyying3602]

Also the early castle from black may be due to potential for early pressure from white in the ruylopez. Sticking around in the center may signal to white it is time to attack early. But great position to look at. It's like those chess mysteries Jerry constructs. "How did the king get to c8?"

[@knightdreamer81]

Fun game, thanks for sharing it.

[@michaelmassaro4375]

Nice those sacrifices are a learning lesson players online like myself included avoid sacrifices but they are so useful in getting the desired result Checkmate

[@Treeborn]

thanks jerrry. your video never fails to cure my insomnia. also @15:36, why can't black do Rxh4 anyways? the queen mate threat is still there, the bishop sac seems unnecessary.

[@ducemano]

Rxh4+ is certainly there @ 15:11

[@mohammedfathi3592]

@@ducemano Nope, black queen hits with check here, you have to exchange.

[@PatrickTengmusic]

I love the board graphics it helps me to better understand the narrative 👍

[@felipedeabreuprazeres5690]

There is an old chess game that Jerry explained where after a lot of moves the position is completely simetrical and, yet, the white pieces are one tempo down. I have been revisiting some videos from Jerry to find it for a while now. Now I have one with five tempi down, featuring two champions.

[@synchronium24]

"There is an old chess game that Jerry explained where after a lot of moves the position is completely simetrical and, yet, the white pieces are one tempo down." It's amazing how much this explanation jogs my memory, despite being vague. I highly suspect you are referring to an Aronian vs. Carlsen game that fits this description. As I recall, the final position was symmetrical, but Carlsen (as black) had the move. Can't remember what year or tournament it was though.

[@kartikeyatiwari2502]

It might be carlsen vs hou yifan

[@dm9910]

I believe that was a Fischer game

[@Ogrecrusher]

I also vaguely remember that. In my memory it was a game from the 1800s...

[@NotElusivePanda]

Hi jerry it’s everyone

[@ChessNetwork]

Hi Panda, it's Jerry.

[@sirkealoha9085]

Everyone, it's Jerry. Hi

[@aliensconfirmed3498]

It's hi, jerry everyone

[@djmarycruz]

Hi

[@helloagain4546]

I have a theory how Ding arrived in such good shape vs Nepo. He was the most affected by Covid because he was focusing on Classical and his meeting with Rapport was like an explosion of inspiration after a lot of solo work and the result was finding his 2820 strength during the match, like he always used to be better in the latter stages of tourneys and find his form through come backs . But the intensity of the classical work with rapport made him reach a performance peak near the end when it matters. Nepo on the other hand felt like the favorite the entire time but you can’t blame him really .. it’s often this way ironically in chess that the higher rated but less in form player gets the early good results and the truely stronger player finds his form nearer the end . It only makes sense by Nepo’s style that he thrives in open tourney but less suited for repeatedly playing the same opponent who said in an interview that his spirit animal is stockfish

[@talphazero1036]

To add to your theory, I'd say having to play 30 classical games in a month feed his suppressed ego. Now, ego is not something entirely bad, but very few express it humbly. Ding being Chinese and from a very teamwork-driven country having to work so hard on his own has allowed him to naturally relay on his own talents, sharpening them for top level competition like a WCC. It allowed his warrior spirit to thrive. I've seen most of those games, and a good amount of his wins were from 'posing questions' to his opponent only players as strong and resilient as him could answer; they crumbled as they weren't able to keep up. Then, coming off that high and practicing with a SuperGM like Rapport who plays nothing but crazy ideas , contrary to Ding's more precise and machine-like calculations, gave him new layers to his Chess prowess. The era of Ding will be quite interesting to say the least...

[@ericvosselmans5657]

Ding was anything but in good shape. Overall the quality of the WC-games was poor.

[@helloagain4546]

@@ericvosselmans5657 It is not to be measured by individual game quality in comparison to normal 2750+ cash tournaments. This was a world title match in which 1) both players prepared very well and understood eachother very well. 2) Nepo is hyper agressive and Ding is also somewhat aggressive and was also constantly in must win situations. So considering these 2 factors in addition to the nerves and the normal concept of being your own worst enemy when in a winning yet sharp position... The quality was just superb. The composure to not collapse by Ding and find peak form during the playoffs... Saying the quality was poor is very narrow sighted.

[@AJ-iu6nw]

Fun fact: Li means "strength" in Chinese, and Ren means "Man" I'll leave the rest of the math to you guys

[@timwangdev]

Ding means "Pin" also, this his family name though

[@choco1101]

I am not sure you have the right Li, but maybe. The one in his name means “stand-up” which loosely also means morally strong.

[@driller7714]

Fun fact. Magnus is still the best chess player in the world.

[@leparraindufromage366]

​@@choco1101 You are right, his is 立 meaning to stand, 力 means power, both are pronounced the same. His name 立人 comes from a Confucian proverb, 己立立人，己達達人 which is basically the counterpart to the English 'do unto others as you would have others do unto you', it's something like allow others to achieve what you want to achieve.

[@michaelmassaro4375]

Definitely not castling too soon is a good idea I learned that the hard way gave my opponent the advantage while I’m busy trying to castle his pieces were already too set up for easy captures

[@quintane4434]

A lot to learn from your analyses.

[@mitchellwilson5770]

Congrats Ding! I'd love to see more wins from our new overlord

[@jamesdelb6885]

In your analysis, b4 would kick the N and open the Q side, or pxp would do the same. Sometimes the structure has to wind up in a secure position, as the pieces move leaving a weakness behind. When the position warranted is the key phrase. Ding noticed the position warranted a K march to safety.

[@eyadfayyumi7952]

outstanding analysis

[@DanielKRui]

I've watched many chess analysis videos over the years as a complete amateur (probably 3 digit ELO lol) but somehow, in a way I can not articulate, this is the first such video I've had a different feel from the others. It feels like a lesson, instead of just a walkthrough or whatever.

[@ChessNetwork]

Keep at it. I aim to present the games for laymen.

[@mcronrn]

The knight’s favorite square - e6

[@flippert0]

There are some positions in the (non-delayed) exchange var. of the Ruy Lopez, where black's best move is definitely long castles. so you are certainly on to something here. That being said, Ding's king walk was a brilliant idea and justified, but the moves, that made it really effective were Carlsen's reaction to it. I wonder, if Carlsen could have interfered differently: with opening the d-file (c3, d4)?

[@thiseasathens]

a good analysis

[@Sam-oz8pn]

Champion Ding!

[@RicardGomes76]

The queen rook is developed usually means that the queen bishop is also developed even if stays home ☑

[@rickdynes]

the Mythology of JERRY is Dylan, Shakespeare, Rembrandt ... ... DING LEVEL

[@mratkovich]

Not used to these videos with Magnus on the other side of the board

[@djalals.moharrer5510]

A wonderful king cat walk😂

[@sintiowlim]

hindsight wisdom on suggestion to do Q side castle as Magnus would not have made all his moves to open up K side

[@rogerscottcathey]

I think the switcheroo was effective vs trying to Q side castle, as it was going to alter white's focus. As it was done the same middle and end games likely would not have turned out favorably

[@RoyGazoff]

Great game choice 👍

[@hichamboudza8247]

Beautiful

[@adrianf.5847]

I'm also thinking that the black king might be better on c8 because Carlsen's pieces are all pointing towards the kingside. If 5 pieces are pointing towards the kingside, it's going to take 5 moves to redirect them all. Ding's king needs only 4 moves.

[@Sapreme]

0:19 That's WORLD CHAMPION DING LIREN to you, sir!

[@kakanhejsan]

Awsome !

[@siddharthjain2799]

Hi Jerry what if ND5 ON MOVE 22ND??as the king blocks rooks vision of d5

[@dimitrishaw2099]

Im an amateur chess player - @14:51 why doesn't White play Qxf3? Thanks

[@alialsalih1641]

bro, you are amazing, just have a face camera, we'd like to see you analyzing the games

[@aslampervez2294]

Thanks

[@user-m8k9d]

Jerry telling the world chess champion about long castling :D

[@anon-san2830]

Hi Jerry :) It's everyone

[@scheimong]

Man. Kf7 best move is ridiculous. And he found it too.

[@mratkovich]

So the fiancetto squares are prime spots for kings in middle games. If your opponent gives up a bishop in the opening, a good guideline might be to castle to the side with the fiancetto square is opposite the bishop your opponent still has

[@roncho]

Brillant game from.the world champion

[@bluecocacola]

more like brilliant Ding walk

[@c2c001]

Liked the comment about how developing the rook develops the bishop

[@narcassassin5765]

Thanks Jerry

[@G102Y5568]

You can't really say you could "save" five moves by castling queenside, the maneuver only worked because Carlsen put his everything into attacking the kingside, and only once he committed to that attack did Ding Kingwalk to the other side. If Ding had castled Queenside first, Carlsen would have just attacked the Queenside earlier.

[@FlourescentPotato]

agree, it's a hugely surprising misunderstanding

[@tongpoo8985]

He just wanted to point it out, he put like 20 maybe-possiblys on it. Meaning it may not apply in this specific game/situation and would require a lot further analysis to make a definitive statement on that, but it's something to keep in mind that it may be worth delaying castling a couple moves if your king can end up in a much nicer shelter, especially if you plan to put the king there anyway. He's basically saying consider which side you want to castle on carefully and don't automatically castle short every time without thinking because with further consideration, you might determine that castling long will give you a safer king in the long run, and you won't have to spend 5 moves having him migrate over or have him sit in a bad shelter regretting the decision. It seems like Ding played it perfectly here though. Jerry is just trying to present every little interesting thing about the game that could be useful.

[@kingstonadam9275]

I like Ding's idea of casling normally then manually casling again on the other side. It upsets white's normal attacking options.

[@muzafferelmal5482]

u are excellent

[@oriion22]

Jerry, do you think Ding castled king side so that Magnus brings all the guns to king side and then king escapes to the queen side and that gives black a chance to attack without worrying about the King. What I wanted to understand is - in that position what would happen if White also starts a king walk beginning with Kf2?

[@mcronrn]

Appreciate you highlighting a game where Ding beats Carlsen… Ding’s ascension is an earthquake in the chess world… if more people paid attention to chess, then the aftershock would have an even larger effect. Who in the history of sports…all sports… has a personality in any way similar to Ding’s (who made it to the top)? Who is the shyest, most reticent, most vulnerable (appearing?) champion of anything?

[@KF1]

Harry Potter? Also, good comment

[@kardiackids1435]

Well, John McEnroe of course...duh? LOL I kid. For men's sports, Steph Curry has a similar demeanor...coming from a small school to being an MVP and 4 time NBA champ. And for the women, Rose Namajunas is a great choice...an amazing MMA champ and very humble. Great comment and question 👍

[@mcronrn]

@@kardiackids1435 appreciate the response ☺️🙏 but the question mentioned shy, reticent and vulnerable 🤣🤣 Curry has definite swagger 👏💪🏾 the only thing they have in common is the earthquake factor - Curry’s threes are nothing that game had ever seen before. Huge Curry fan here, what a unique talent, and he seems super likable 🙏

[@C4GeneralF]

I'd say that Kawhi Leonard has the shy factor going for him

[@looinrims]

So where did Carlsen go wrong to allow black such an effective plan? Before the listed mistake I mean

[@RicardGomes76]

What is a unoposed bishop?

[@hadeskay6091]

With the new content creators for chess, from Botez to Gotham to Nakamura, this is one of the oldest chess content creators.

[@michaelmassaro4375]

Thanks Jerry You do a Great Job Enjoy your Laid Back Style

[@chessenthusiast]

15:12 If white plays Qf5, pretty sure … Rxh4+ wins, no?

[@wangsawm]

Qf5+, you missed the check

[@rick4400]

I always appreciate your comments. I am starting a chess club in my area (I hope to get enouch members to keep the doors open) and I'm recommending this video. I appreciate your comments and your "thinking out loud".

[@ChessNetwork]

Thank you Rick. Good luck with the club. 👍

[@carlo9524]

Not really, the king walk was part of the game's uniqueness. It was Carlsen trying to chase the king that proved pivotal.

[@CloneHat]

Broke: Ding is world champion Woke: Ding beat Carlsen Bespoke: Ding wasted 5 moves

[@kartikeyatiwari2502]

15:35 Rxh4 works in that position too

[@kylecronin3379]

Why didn't you just take the pawn? You move the king on check then it moves either takes the rook but you can move your king then if he attacks with the rook you trade for the queen then you take the queen with the king maybe I'm missing something but it is completely but I dunno

[@bustin9938]

Why can't the queen take pawn on f3 during move 34?

[@Danman7773]

How do you stop 4 mate in ones? You don't.

[@albrownmd]

15:10 rook h4 is checkmate. No need to queen exchange

[@ChessNetwork]

rook h4 is illegal

[@albrownmd]

@@ChessNetwork how so? black rook g4 to h4 is a legal move. Its not pinned

[@terrys4701]

Only one question matters. Where is Magnus the great? I'm not interested in 2nd place "Winners"

[@rajusubramanian9174]

Why this video now?

[@gangluo3721]

King Ding

[@driller7714]

Magnus still better.

[@johnkennethmayuyo]

I hope chess network earnings i used to watch this years years ago

[@mitic8231]

Jerry legendo

[@johnwest7993]

Magnus isn't dedicating himself to chess lately. He's filthy rich, and he's having more fun doing other things. But if he gets serious again, doing prep etc, I'm quite certain that he will once again be untouchable. He's just that good, or he can be when he actually wants to be.

[@vivo_58]

Ding Lireng decieved Carlsen by castling kingside then he flipped to queenside by hand

[@z_dan]

it is not uncommon for black to castle long in the exchange variation of the Spanish. It happens a lot and even when queens are exchanged because the black king can keep and eye on blacks majority on this side while using his bishop pair to try and wreck havoc in whites position