The Ding Liren of a few years ago, who reached a fantastic 2816 Elo, may not return. This is in the Chinese player's own words, but what happened and what does this mean for the forthcoming title match? The opinions and rumor mill have been in full swing, and everyone, and we do mean everyone, has an opinion.

In January 2023, the World Champion's rating was still at a fantastic 2811, second only to Magnus Carlsen, but things have taken on a dark and dire drop and in the latest list he has plummeted to 2728.

This is the Elo chart from FIDE ratings of the last two years of Ding Liren

While many want to believe he will somehow resurge and show his mojo once the match against Gukesh starts in Singapore later this year, if only to provide an exciting high quality match, the optimism this will actually happen is eroding fast for any who harbor such thoughts.

In a recent Norwegian podcast (in English), Magnus Carlsen was frank about his thoughts, and said that in his experience, the play and performance leading up to the match are usually a good indication of what to expect, and that hoping for a vastly different outcome is unrealistic.

Ding Liren was completely winning against Vietnamese GM Le Quang Liem in round six of the 2024 Olympiad, but squandered it all in a few moves (credit: Michal Walusza/FIDE)

In anticipation of the match and the natural buildup, a top Singaporean news source, The Straits Times, caught up with Ding Liren, and brought up the issue with the greatest Chinese player ever.

The 31-year-old said: “It doesn’t seem like I’ve been playing the way I used to… and their assessment is correct and I don’t know if I will ever reach that level again.”

Ding, who took a nine-month break after becoming world champion in April 2023 by beating Russia’s Ian Nepomniachtchi, shared that he has seen a psychologist for his mental state.

He added: “I feel as per normal, the doctor has given some advice (on how to cope). Recently, I have been playing basketball after dinner, trying not to give myself too much stress.

He further added:

But not being the favourite suits him more. He said: “I like the fact that the media are saying this and the feeling of being the underdog. I’ll then surprise them.”

Read the full article here