Ding Liren at the World Chess Championship in Astana
Image: EPA
Can an attack in chess be called beautiful if it didn’t work? Notes on aesthetics at the World Cup in Astana and remembering how to characterize big games.
GThe fight for the world chess championship is taking place in Astana. The title holder, Magnus Carlsen, is not taking part because he is tired of proving his superiority again. It’s not sporty, just imagine what it would mean for FC Bayern Munich. Due to Carlsen’s resignation, the numbers two and three now play against each other, the Russian Jan Nepomnjaschtschi and the Chinese Ding Liren. So far, “Nepo” leads 6:5, it’s a fairly varied match with few draws, so an unusual number of victories on the one hand and the other.
During game four, one commentator, world-class Dutch player Anish Giri, made a comment that falls within the aesthetic realm. Indeed, when Ding Liren put pressure on his opponent’s position with an impressive set of pawns, Giri asked if something could be called beautiful even if it turned out to be ineffective in the end. Because he was in doubt whether the attack, which was beautiful to look at, would lead to success. But would it be really nice if it didn’t work?
