Hikaru BREAKS 2800!!

[@RuffLife2018]

“15 minutes is quite a lot in Hikaru time” lol

[@Puschit1]

Was about to post that, too :) It's hilarious that he has his own timeline. It's like Quicksilver reading a book while everybody else is moving in super-slo-mo

[@devanshkant603]

"15 minutes here is 7 years on earth"

[@namikazeswapnil671]

Flashtime equals hikarutime i guess

[@LukeLongboneOfficial]

Damn. You know it’s bad when players are praying for you in the confessional.

[@matekanfi1720]

And the one who's praying will never ever be even a WC challanger. Thats the irony of this

[@johnsmith1474]

?

[@clshady3051]

I debated for 5 minutes whether I wanted to get out of bed this morning. Not very long, you might think. But it was 5 minutes of Hikaru time.

[@MrExoticSnow]

What if you get out... maybe takes takes, Queen e5 check, takes takes, castles, and pawn h4? - Nah, just stay in bed.

[@r.mcdonnell8614]

Hikaru's second move is the only time I remember literally saying "what the F**K?!" outloud during a chess video

[@veni1]

he played this before against magnus, so it's not completely shocking

[@andrujo]

Very strange to see the man who had one of the longest undefeated streaks now performing like this.

[@Axiomatic75]

We've all had winning and losing streaks. He's under a lot of pressure to perform and we don't know what may be going on in his private life. I'm certainly not going to write him off just because he underperforms for a few months. If and when whatever rut he is in vanishes, he can be top form again soon. He may lose the wcc before that happens though. Whatever is happening, I wish him well.

[@ChessJourneyman]

​@@Axiomatic75He hasn't performed at a ~2800 level since 2019.

[@boboho3928]

​@@Axiomatic75Maybe fischer was true chess has mafia , he said Kasparov vs Karpov games were fixed😂😂😂

[@buttecake]

Maybe he is now going for longest unvictorious streak

[@fillorkillorder]

if you remember his post-WC interviews, he was ready to quit chess if he lost the WC, i think he has been burned out since the world championship and has just wanted a reason to quit professional chess, and him losing games are reflective of his mental state.

[@drdjolanda]

2:11 The voice crack 😂

[@kly826]

2:00

[@nasoszeppelis4644]

​@@kly826i see your point but no. Sorry dude. No warm ups. I'll stick with 2:11 😂

[@jestice75]

He's no Indy Nidell.

[@johnsmith1474]

You mean of course "THAT voice crack." "The voice crack" is busted English.

[@drdjolanda]

@@johnsmith1474 Ok, now shut up.

[@danielkanewske8473]

Ding's performance since achieving the title suggests that the weight of the champion's crown may be too much for him.

[@SmugAmerican]

He never acted like he deserved it. He was ready to lose to Nepo before Nepo choked as he does. I have heard he was sick though also.

[@jestice75]

He's never won the candidates tournament, and he didn't even qualify for the candidates that "earned" him the crown. They just threw out the Russian and invited him instead. He barely squeaked past Hikaru to take second at the candidates, and then beat Ian in tiebreaks. It's laughable, and nobody considers him champ other than FIDE and his mom who cashed his check.

[@Phoenix_of_the]

@@jestice75 ?????????????

[@isrolympiad459]

Thats true

[@brbcrew9957]

Wow you guys are merciless.. everyone has his own struggles at least he achieved something.​@@jestice75

[@nasoszeppelis4644]

2:11 that woke the F out of me

[@jjakie07]

Vishy was world #8 in 2013 while defending his title against Magnus(already world #1 at that time). I can't remember anything lower before that in the FIDE era.

[@user-gr3tg2yk6o-24_डफ़क]

lol.... 2013 vishy was 2800+ and top 3 ... stop spreading fake news ... Vasily Smyslov was constantly out of top 10 then while also being the world champion from 1957-59

[@jjakie07]

@@user-gr3tg2yk6o-24_डफ़क A literal 2 second Google search on the 2013 world championship match would tell you otherwise.

[@jjakie07]

​@@user-gr3tg2yk6o-24_डफ़क A literal 2 second Google search would tell you otherwise. Anand was 8th in the world in 2013 during the WCC

[@zamazenta1728]

@@user-gr3tg2yk6o-24_डफ़क Actually, at the time of the world championship match, Vishy's rating had dropped down to 2775 making him the 8th best player in the world at that time behind Magnus, Kramnik, Levon, Grischuk, Hikaru, Fabi and Boris Gelfand.

[@jestice75]

@@user-gr3tg2yk6o-24_डफ़क India, get out of the comments. Go to ChessBase India.

[@WillBrooks-h9d]

Hikaru shines in this one! Cool! Ding might need a break! Thanks!🎈🎈

[@rainer8752]

Fabiano just lost his game and Hikaru is now world #2🎉🎉

[@SachaAlary]

Yay

[@rafaelrocha5626]

fabiano with low time is basically a automatic loss

[@nasoszeppelis4644]

I mean yeah. You can spoil another games result on the comments. Not sure if you should but you definitely can

[@lordtouchme77]

​@@rafaelrocha5626 fabiano got 12 minutes while pragg was the one who is low on time, fabi just somehow blunder draw endgame.

[@TheMassgames]

Ding must be having some issues in his personal life. I remember he said that he was having trouble with the pressure from being the world champion. Hopefully he solves the issues he is facing.

[@ndnd7614]

He’s done.

[@lokeshkumar-ff8kx]

What's with all these excuses man, if you can't handle the pressure then just give up the title like Magnus did. I don't think any world champion in history crumbled under pressure like this after becoming the world champion.

[@danielward7008]

I just think it's a mixture of pressure and his confidence must be rock bottom atm. Maybe he should enter a few open tournaments in a bid to get some wins under his belt.

[@nicolarobatto7469]

it s insane the amount of hate he is receiving. No respect of empathy for a great player that is obviously struggling with mental health. Idk if it s due to racism or just because people are assholes for no reason, but its really sad to see a great player being smeared like this its fucking disgusting, learn some empathy, it's what makes us human beings.

[@danielward7008]

@@nicolarobatto7469 What hate? All I see is people being sympathetic towards his plight.

[@Lupinicus1664]

We should probably remember that pre-internet days ratings were not updated daily. There may well have been several occasions in the past where a current World Champion had ducked out of the Top 10 for a period of time. If anything Ding's apparent loss of form makes the impending World Championship match more intriguing.

[@lushikuderh3721]

Hikaru belittled the world champion what a chad.

[@Championsriseto]

How lucky are we to get 2 agadmator videos in a day

[@rahesirazshaik7680]

Ding needs to go for a vacation 😊

[@hemakanthadesilva2087]

ya 🥲you are right

[@descendency]

He hasn't been playing many (super gm) tournaments since he won the title. He needs to figure out what is wrong and fix it. He's been away for long enough.

[@MadMax-bht]

Pressure of being a world champion is ruining him, it seems all those negative comments about him being a world champion is taking a troll on him, I hope ding clear off those weight and come back strong

[@mothudimothudi2946]

What is happening to Ding is very sad. Hope he find his form again💔

[@zb5775]

LOL! Sure, pal. Let’s not mention that he brazenly cheated his way into a completely undeserved spot into the last candidates by stealing his place from Karjakin. He had too low elo ratings to qualify so he allegedly played 30 classical games in 30 days in China going … ready? … 30 wins and no losses against other alleged “GM’s”. That’s how he made the candidates.

[@Saqib_weqyq]

He simply just isn't good enough. He won the wcc by accident,Ian's bad luck you could say.

[@noesuarez4186]

Mein Herz ist gebrochen 💔

[@physics2112]

He needs to withdraw from the championship.

[@FerrisMcLaren]

​@@Saqib_weqyqFabianos bad luck actually

[@dmerc374]

Keep in mind that in the last candidates tournament after Magnus said he would not play the winner, all Hikaru needed in the last game was a draw to get to play Ian but he lost, who beat him in that game? Ding.

[@tomasz9429]

"He is a world champion, he won't fall for that." Give him time, Agad, and he will surprise us all.

[@aliawada1126]

The best thing Ding can do now is to withdraw from the world chess championship and have Hikaru play instead. I can't imagine how disastrous the match would be with Ding playing this terrible relative to the strong players😢

[@lawdogwales5921]

Good idea.

[@noplays2480]

Why would ding withdraw? He would win 40% of the prize pool of the championship even if he loses

[@aliawada1126]

@@noplays2480 It's not about the money anymore. Ding is extremely shaky right now, losing 2/3 games and drawing one every three games on average. Imagine him playing in this state against Gukesh who's proven to be very solid in classical. It's likely to end at 7.5 to 1.5 for Gukesh at game 9. Maybe better for ding but still something close to this disaster. I'm really sorry for him, but enough drama for this game. We want an exciting match, and for Ding lets hope he gets treated and comes back as strong as before. If he plays the match and it results in a disaster. I think we might see him retire from chess

[@noplays2480]

@@aliawada1126 we'll hope he will recover soon 🙏

[@lawdogwales5921]

@@aliawada1126 You're right. Ding must spare himself the shame and humiliation that will surely happen if he tries to compete against Gukesh. He isn't even close to being able to do it.

[@Someone-tn8ur]

Ding is a nice young man and he a is great chess player, but it is absolutely inconceivable to me that he is the World Champion.

[@jestice75]

Mentally ill, give up the title.

[@strategicsage7694]

I would suggest watching his match with Nepo again then. He got there the same way every champion does; he won it.

[@elduderino3120]

Maybe Ding needs the second who helped him beat Nepo, maybe Nepo choked (again), but nobody believes that if Magnus had chosen to defend the title, Ding would be world champion LOL.

[@r.mcdonnell8614]

​@@elduderino3120Except for the fact that Magnus did not want to play and hence would have not been himself in the match

[@Someone-tn8ur]

@@strategicsage7694 Yup, he won it. He is just one of the few who got it by not beating a world champion, and he may be the only world champion who has not one but TWO former world champions with a higher rating. Generally the World Champion is considered the best or at least arguably the best player in the world, but Ding isn't even top 10. It doesn't take away from what a great player he is, but let's face it, he got there by circumstance, not by being the best player in the world.

[@pavetheworldlovely]

For much of the time that there has been an officially recognized world champion, there were no Elo rankings. Nonetheless, the first time that it happened was probably Capablanca being a more developed player than Lasker. Lasker supposedly dodged Capablanca for several years before they met for their match. It is possible that subsequently when Alekhine defeated Capablanca, Capablanca was still a better player. Euwe became world champion as a weaker player, beating Alekhine. The following contenders and champions were all probably rather evenly matched, speculating that Smyslov would have been the lowest rated of the group through Spassky. FIDE did not adopt the Elo system until 1970, so nothing would have been official until then. Interestingly, Fischer was the first player to be higher rated than the defending champion, his rating being 2785. Karpov's highest rating of 2780 never matched Fischer's, and it wasn't until 1990 when Kasparov attained the 2785 mark. I will leave the rest of the research for someone else. It is surprising how often that the world champion was not the highest rated player.

[@a.m.armstrong8354]

Capablanca was so much stronger even than Alekhine. It was lifestyle, avoidance, temperament and eventually illness that undermined his regaining the Championship. Smyslov remained strong into his 60's, while Lasker, then Alekhine sat on their titles aided by world wars and the challenging format. In boxing they say styles make fights and the same applies to chess. There's an argument that while it is harder for a good positional player to become world champion..because in the cut and thrust of a gruelling series, a single error might cost a title; a positional champion is far stronger than one given to tactical sleight of hand and winner-takes-all preparation. The real issue is Magnus' title abdication, following Covid, combined with an unsatisfactory conclusion of his match against his last pre-lockdown challenger..via a different format than classical. Imagine Karpov vs Kasparov 1.0, or Capablanca vs Alekhine, concluded in such fashion? A better understanding of where World Championship chess is might be had, following the four K vs K series; Kasparov abdicated and Short won the title following his remarkable run of candidates form prior to 1995. Short never reached such levels again, crumbling against Kasparov. Was Short 'lucky'? No, and neither was Ding, but while everyone knows there's a stronger player than the World Champion out there, the title itself is devalued as it is psychologically perpetually 'up for grabs'. This interregnum has possibly affected Ding as he might not even regard himself as the real champion when Carlson can take him apart at will.

[@pavetheworldlovely]

@@a.m.armstrong8354 Insightful!

[@pavetheworldlovely]

@@a.m.armstrong8354 By the way, don't get me wrong. I am an intermediate player, and even the least (sorry to put it that way) of the World Champions would torture me.

[@Schach-oy5cf]

Go Hikaru! I'd really wish for him to become world champion once.

[@matekanfi1720]

He even cant win a Candidates 😂

[@qdlaty23]

I don't, this man's ego and complete lack of sportsmanship is repulsive

[@vercot7000]

@@matekanfi1720 you saw how hard it was for Fabi. That's why the commentator WISHES Nakamura becomes champion!

[@Someone-hi1nt]

sorry but its not gonna happen

[@johnnydoe3603]

I don’t know if Ding is going through a Mental Health Issue or a Physical Health Issue or a Combination of both, but i hope Ding gets through this. 😓🙏🏽

[@amirmn7]

Seems like Nepo went to a witch after he lost the championship to Ding and put a curse on him. The man has not been himself ever since he became the world champion

[@Philopantheon82]

I am speechless about Ding's current mental status, honestly I wish him a swift recovery in the world championship match against Gukesh😢

[@johngrey5806]

Ding seems to be more dinged up than his bicycle when he fell off it and broke his pelvis in 2017. Back then he was known as Ding the King.

[@hareldavidson738]

Hikaru 2…c5 is actually part of his candidates prep. He played a similar line in one of the candidates games, Even his second Nills played the same line in a tounament he played today. So far hikaru had massive success with this line. He even used it to crush Dubov in Titled Tuesday in the last round to win the tounament

[@Money-Fast-Plan-a]

*"People often say that motivation doesn't last. Well, neither does bathing__that's why we recommend it daily."* __Zig Ziglar

[@meeeeeeauuuuuuuu]

Professional and Personal there maybe one or many troubling factors in one's life if they aren't performing. from Wife fighting everyday for good breakfast to losing the purpose of life. Let us support our Champion as we can't really know or support him with his real issues. And hope that he gets the right guidance and probably a good chess community to grow.

[@jiyangchen505]

I’m a beginner at chess, what would be the reason why Ding wouldn’t go for Re2 at 7:47 ? Wouldn’t it force a rook trade and a opposite color bishops end game? Or am i missing something and it would be a losing position

[@Puschit1]

Because that isn't a rook trade, you'll use your rook! Hikaru would just move his bishop to F1. White can't trade rooks because the rook is pinned now. At the same time his rook is attacked twice now and he can't reinforce it.

[@hugotornberg2254]

Cant black just take the rook on e3 at 6:57, then after white takes back the pawn on e4 is free?

[@Just1nBa1ley]

Ding is worn out and needs a month break. Just take a step back and enjoy life and reset your mindset. We love u ding and agad! 😍❤️😍

[@praiseshishi2189]

I was watching the Capablanca saga, 'Capa vs Marshall' where Capa was able to get a second Queen into the game, so I was wondering 2queens vs a queen and 2 rooks, which combo is more potent?

[@Phoenix_of_the]

generally with safe kings 2 rooks and a queen can beat 2 queens. Because a pair of rooks are expendable and play together. A queen is strong only due to the presence on the board.

[@Aleksandar_Lukic]

At 6:55, why can't Hikaru capture Ding's rook and snatch a pawn one move later with his bishop?

[@romalmohamednazir8448]

Ding is like Man United nowdays. You know he will be back, but you dont know when its gonna happen

[@jestice75]

He's mentally ill and never coming back. Ding's not here, man.

[@SamuelPearlman]

Close - Man Utd has flashes, winning the FA Cup, etc. Ding has looked deflated since he won the title...

[@spasshky]

Man utd will never be back

[@lawdogwales5921]

Good analogy!

[@ronjohnson9690]

Ding can't find a phone booth to change back into his superman outfit.

[@ashoksafaya5397]

Sir,I would like to have rating vs age graph of plotted for top 3 from IM level onwards, thanks.

[@chinmaykowshik5161]

"Those are engine moves, we (Hikaru) go for the human move" 4:25 💀💀

[@foolmenow00]

I could be wrong yet never am but... I really don't think pressure is causing King Ding issues it's his lack of attacks! He now seems to play not only passive but the dreaded defensive style as he did in this game with white allowing Hikaru to tie him up in knots!

[@SonOfGod-i2c]

Ohhh ding 🥺 im still rooting for you. He was the reason why i started to play chess seriously 😢 please ding get back up ❤

[@NEI_Kid]

Ding is playing mind games to throw Gukesh off

[@sortehuse]

I hope Dink Liren just saves all the good moves for the World Championship match.

[@harsh2032]

Ding feels like he never wanted to be the world champion, he was forced into it.

[@boboho3928]

I believe mafias working behind ding vs nepo matches😂😂😂

[@ballboybatson9540]

Ding should change from chess to writing he has a Pulitzer Prize in him for a book called "How to Resign"

[@PolishDork]

7:19 rook c2 check, only space left for the king is d3.....and thats all I got hahah

[@Hussainzidane]

Everyone has bad days, hopefully Ding recovers

[@rhinocraft2594]

What are the causes behind dings downfall?

[@beauf4]

7:00 wowowo Why Hikaru don’t trade rooks and take the pawn with the bishop and be up 2 pawn?🤔 Engine : RxR -5.3 Rf2 -2.6

[@PermacultureHomestead]

its ok folks, Ding will put the vibrating beads back in for the WC match

[@Andrewthestagehand]

It's like Ding completed a video game, and now has less desire to continue playing the game, even though he is good at the game and used to be obsessed with it.

[@Pouncingpuma7]

Is so crazy that Hikaru has placed 2nd in the previous two canindates tournaments whilst facing Ding and Gukesh in the final round of each one. Now he has broken 2800 by winning against Ding. I believe one day he WILL play in the world chess championship.

[@Puschit1]

Let's hope for him that Carlsen doesn't want to compete again ...

[@agpaok0704]

I like how you emphasize that this is the 8th most popular move and while this is what I always play vs the Queen 's gambit😂

[@SamuelPearlman]

Little-known Fact: Ding Liren sold his soul to the devil to become world classical chess champion... the flip side was that he would not win another tournament... ever. :( :(

[@guillaumelagueyte1019]

Holy Moly, that light square bishop had the shmoves, what a dance!

[@chugg159]

Maybe Ding is playing 4D chess where he saves 100% of his prep for the world championship because that's all that matters for him. Bleeding rating doesn't necessarily give up the world championship.

[@northshores7319]

I think it was in 1952 or so that Botvinnik, World Champ, was voted off the Soviet team for the Olympiad because they felt his play, little as it was, was not up to par. I can not find a more severe condemnation of a player by his peers let alone the World Champion.

[@mohanasundaramg9417]

Standings?

[@Amer1kop]

Ding needs to see a sports psychologist and get his mojo back, no fight in this guy

[@here_4_beer]

I hope his parents do not find out he is only 3rd rank.

[@i_said8939]

I won't be surprised if ding is deliberately not playing his best and saving it for the world Championship

[@danielward7008]

Worrying times for Ding. He's gotta find a way to get some wins under his belt between now and his WC defence otherwise things could get really ugly for him.

[@ТарланХудавердиев-ц8п]

Lets all of us forget about Ding’s WC title like it never happened

[@ansakhadeo]

Show the Praggs game "Squeezing water out of stone"

[@OneWithManyThings]

Hikaru played 2...c5 recently, during candidates, I can't remember against who though

[@Aetherius88]

Interesting to see Anand is also currently higher rated than Ding. So Ding has fallen below both of the former world champions in the live ratings.

[@joonswhatever7262]

It seems as if Ding relies too heavily on preparation and absolute top level players are able to take advantage of that.

[@kenoliver8913]

Yep - I think his opponents have noticed he is often imprecise in the mid game and so they deliberately take him out of his prep early by using less common variations. Nepo didn't try that in the World Championships so he was able to blitz out the moves from his excellent prep a long way into the games.

[@rickval9]

So much pressure on the guy. He being so attached to his mommy, doesn't help him..

[@Wargasm54]

He’s already taken over Fabi. Fabi lost to Pragg bringing him below 2800

[@vishveshbhatt9297]

World champion title has become a joke in the hands of ding

[@ayushjena4257]

To think 5 out of 8 participants of candidates are rated higher than the world champion

[@schmitz9a]

Are you watching a different tournament? 6 players overall

[@ayushjena4257]

@@schmitz9a bro? I have mentioned "candidates"... as in the candidates tournament we had recently.

[@lil----lil]

Kramnick has left the chat...

[@antar7475]

Let's do the procedure.

[@a.m.armstrong8354]

World Champion for much longer, having defeated the supposedly all-time best to gain it. Time for you to leave the chat, perhaps.

[@barry_allen321]

Is Ding done?

[@gingerayyle]

I love Ding's chess and root for him in every game but as we get closer to the WC I slowly lose hope that he'll give even just a good performance. He just seems so burned out from chess, and I don't know why he keeps forcing himself to play. I have this tiny hope that he's sandbagging right now and hiding his true power for the match against Gukesh but it's hard to believe that.

[@gabrielmakoba9329]

Ding needs to give his WCC title to Wei Yi

[@michaellacy8510]

Very sad for Ding. Winning the world championship was the worst thing that ever happened to him. Maybe losing it to Gukesh will set him free to play like his old self. Wishing him the best.

[@anthonysellers6455]

0:28 should try to find out wether the world champ has ever not been a top 10 player

[@ashishtahelyani3135]

#suggestion a time stamp saying "SMIAP" for all games featuring b4

[@axnnxa1857]

The only instance I can think of where a world champion was outside the top 10 was Kasimdzhanov in '04 if you want to count it, since technically the championship was split

[@Ayush_Singh-0507]

Ding should take rest till WC match, and fix his mental health 🫰

[@B-fq7ff]

It’s not just mental he has physical health problems as well…

[@Ayush_Singh-0507]

@@B-fq7ff What kind of physical health problems is he facing? 😕

[@jestice75]

@@B-fq7ff Jabbed?

[@B-fq7ff]

@@Ayush_Singh-0507he has not talked about it much publicly he is a very private person

[@Ayush_Singh-0507]

@@B-fq7ff I wish he'll be fine and comeback stronger 🙂

[@srinjoy2003]

#suggestion You gotta cover Vaishali vs Lei TinJie armageddon. From rook sac, to knight deflection, to a beautiful checkmate.

[@irsanwu2057]

I highly suspect ding is giving way to Wei Yi to rise in fame until he claims back again his reputation. Till then, go DING !!

[@bananamonkeygaming14]

2024 is an exciting year for chess

[@SamuelPearlman]

Karjakin, I remember that guy!

[@armynyus9123]

I miss him.

[@OferLev]

Chances are that ding will not defend his title ?

[@strategicsage7694]

Based on what? He's already said that he will defend it.

[@OferLev]

Based on his form and mental condition it will not be a surprise if he will change his mind

[@kudzem]

The Magnus Effect destroyed Ding

[@coreyburton8]

I like the term “in Hikaru time “

[@chriszod]

i think we should get evaluation bar in 2024

[@KailamiMwiinga]

Ding has given up chess

[@ManuShivannaprakash]

Pragg 44th viedo coming up Pragg vs fabi

[@dalekerr5091]

That Ding is WC is embarrassing for chess, hopefully Gukesh can correct this error and future world champions are worthy and deserving.

[@namikazeswapnil671]

Vishy somehow always ends up in top 10 or 15 even after retiring. Consistency at its best. Likewise magnus always 1st

[@markattila9835]

Dropping out of top ten and joining 2800 are both equally prestigious clubs.

[@Ventoms519]

2 Moves in and I thought this was my 800 rating game.

[@paradox47987]

That quote is brutal

[@sakshatkarandikar889]

I want Fabiano caruana and magnus and pragg game analysis

[@rajsharma2023]

Wei yi seems to be stronger than ding😂

[@srinjoy2003]

#suggestion vaishali vs lei tinjie armageddon. vaishali sacrificed a rook.

[@davidschneide5422]

I hope Ding is playing Possum, saving his prep.

[@strategicsage7694]

Even if he's saving his prep, that doesn't explain the number of poor moves - for the top level ofc - he's making later in games. He's just not the player he was, at least not yet.