This Should Have Never Happened...

Thank you for all the recent support on the video! Its very appreciated

Luck got him to a rating of 2800. I'd love to have luck like that....

He wasn’t lucky. He beat out a strong field of candidates and then beat Nepo in a best of 12. It wasn’t like a one game fluke it was best out of 12 games and part of that test is a test of focus and endurance as well as skill. Nepo failed on focus and endurance and lost. Yes, he got a slot after someone withdrew but he was rated strongly enough to be the ‘spare’. You don’t get into that position by being complete trash and just ‘lucky’.

"Luck is when preparation meets opportunity" A combination of events may have led to opportunity, but the preparation and readiness at that time determine success.

he honestly was inches from death and the story of ding liren is just a remarkable tale to be told as he went from potentially having nothing to becoming part of the elite and eventually seen as a pro player aiming for the title of #1 in the world. before the pandemic he was a straight up monster notably taking down carlsen in the 2019 seinquefield cup tiebreaks and was seen as the man to take him down but unfortunately like him and a few others such as caruana and mamedyarov they began to fade from the scene. they weren't being seen or paid much attention to which in dings case was the worst as he had no real support while mamedyarov wasn't quite interested and caruana had all the resources and motivation to get back into the main stream. ding went on a road of hell to make it to the candidates and if anything its the struggle at the end knowing he practically was in tears to know It was finally over when he beat ian, it may not have been perfect or the world champion some would have wanted but if they were open minded and looked back a couple years ago they would see that ding definitely deserved to have the spot more than Ian but was neglected. this all made for the perfect chess underdog story in my opinion and it was honestly heartbreaking to see him finally succeed as all the pain and hours from losses and bad streaks were over. ding has not had the greatest time but for what its worth he is definitely one of my favorite players and notably has made his name in the chess world 100%. i hope more people begin to appreciate him like back in the day as in no doubt he is undisputedly the dark horse we were all happy for to make it and really resembled hope for everyone who works hard to improve so yeah lets hope ding gets back on his feet and wins his 2nd match, thanks for the video and hope everyone appreciates my take on the match and ding as a whole!

If you consider Ian and Ding H2H from the first round of 2022 candidates, in which ding lost to Ian, the only time Ding was in lead was that one final game. I don't care when people question him as champion. But from not being able to play qualifying tournaments for candidates because of restrictions, Sergey DQ, having to played 30 games before the deadline, losing first round of candidates to Ian, winning the last round against Hikaru, being on the backfoot throughout the classical games, and that final win. Its pure cinema man, Ding's perseverance deserves him to be the champion

This is the best tribute to the world championship so far

Ding is just too humble mate, he deserves every good thing that's coming to him. To be completely honest, he's the only player ever to have consistently challenge magnus in classical chess over and over again. The lines they go into are so sharp that any mistake or inaccuracy can lead to defeat. Gotta love ding.

Carlsen: You seize this opportunity, bro. I am but truly tired of this event. Ding: Okay.

I saw this in my recommended multiple times and finally decided to watch it. I wasn't really invested in last year's championship, but this showed me how crazy it really was. Great video.

That was a fucking great video, I remember watching the games while working from home and watching gotham’s recaps. Was very fun to relive those days with your added insights

“It doesn't matter if you win by and inch or a mile, winning's winning” -Dominic family torreto

Dude WTF. I’ve been avoiding this video for a few days in my recommended because I thought it would just be another low quality commentary vid, and I haven’t been playing much chess for about a month. Oh my god. This video is fucking phenomenal and not only has it given me goosebumps but it’s reawakened an excitement for chess I haven’t felt since the beginning. The way you explain certain game deciding moves while the openings themselves are unpopular at the top like the London/colle system reimagines the game for me in a completely new yet comprehensible way. Also, the music, like the long chord strings and stuff, shit is creating a godly atmosphere. Thank you, please make so much more like this. I love ❤

I remember watching this match live last year and it was SO good to watch. Day after day, the big plays, the blunders, the swinging score, the interviews, the recaps, the drama, the comeback, everything. The look on Ian's face, his body language, when he realizes everything's lost, it hits hard. I think everybody can understand fighting for something just to end up short, but to dedicate your life to chess, to spend months preparing for the match, to hold the lead for its entirety, and to see it all crumble in a matter of minutes, it's heartbreaking. Of course, Ian doesn't have anybody else to blame but himself, but it doesn't make it any easier. Meanwhile, Ding's story, before, during and after the match is incredible. The 2024 Candidates is coming up shortly to decide Ding's opponent in the upcoming World Championship. Ding really seems to be struggling to play well lately, so a lot of people are betting that whoever wins the Candidates will become the champion. Well, I don't disagree, but we've seen weirder things happen. After all, Ding was considered one of the best players in the world, perhaps one of the few that could challenge Magnus for the title for a long time before the pandemic. Who knows, maybe Ding will find the strength to play like he used to, or maybe he'll crumble under the pressure, only time will tell. One thing is for sure, 2024 is going to be a very interesting year for chess fans.

“Players will always be remembered by the legacy they left over the board” What a beautiful line to end this even more beautiful video

I may be a fan of Nepo but man you really did a great job, I enjoyed it and I can say that this is better than a lot of the best documentaries and movies. You have my support.

You told a great story in such captivating way, I just at the end noticed it was 50 minutes long. Good job, you have a talent

A better human couldn't have become the world chess champion. Ding just floored us with his preparation, comeback capability, resilience, simple humble existence. Never underestimate Ding

I saw a short where Ian grazed the chess pieces with his hand in the last game. That's what brought me here. That movement showed so much emotion, like it came straight out of a movie. With shaking hands, caressing the pieces...Grabbing them all tightly at first, a rook slips from his hand then a knight falls off the table, the bishop then sliding out of the palm of his hand and finally spinning a knight and setting it down firmly. In a strange way extremely beautiful.

kudos for the amazing video. Ding performs stunningly as the underdog, and i cant wait for him to retain his World Champion Crown later this year and proving that his greatness isn't a fluke.