– Permanently destroyed – NRK Sport – Sports news, results and broadcasting schedule

– The question is whether he is permanently damaged. I’m not sure, but think it’s a possibility, says Magnus Carlsen in the latest episode of the podcast Chess Talk.

After Carlsen relinquished the WC title last year, it was Ding Liren who became the new World Long Chess Champion.

Since then, Liren has hardly been seen.

– Taking time away I think has done him good, but it has obviously not been enough yet, says Carlsen.

Liren played a tournament shortly after securing the world title in April last year, but then did not play any tournaments until he was back in Tata Steel Chess in January.

A weak performance there was followed up with complete failure in a major fischer chess tournament in Weissenhaus, Germany in February. 10 losses in 13 games was the result.

There was nothing reminiscent of a reigning world chess champion.

– The whole chess world is wondering what is happening to Ding Liren, says NRK’s ​​expert Torstein Bae.

Open about mental health issues

Sheila Barth Stanford also follows chess closely, both as coach and expert. She understands well what Carlsen means by “permanently destroyed”.

– Permanently destroyed may sound a bit sensationalist and critical, but Liren has said himself that he has struggled with some psychological challenges, including with motivation, she says.

Also during the WC match, where Liren finally won over Jan Nepomnjashchij, he opened up about sad feelings and problems with focusing on chess.

The experts speculate that the WC triumph has led to as much stress as joy.

– It is clear that there is pressure as a world champion, with the huge expectations he carries every time he sits down at the board. Then it is the world chess champion who will show what he is good at. It is very plausible to think that the psychological and pressure are to blame for his falling back a lot, says Bae.

Stanford thinks that Liren has ended up in a vicious spiral, where each defeat breaks him down more and more. She points to the use of time and openings as two of the Chinese’s biggest challenges.

– It is not unusual that some chess players cannot cope with the pressure and that they actually withdraw from chess. It is a possible way out that Ding just gives up, says Stanford.

– I loved how Ding Liren played a few years ago, so I hope he finds a way back to that, she continues.

Magnus Carlsen also says that he really hopes Liren will return to 2019 form. Not only in the WC, but in other tournaments as well.

When he is asked to explain the “permanently destroyed” statement, Carlsen answers, among other things, that he thinks there is a possibility that the Chinese will never get back to what he showed at the top level.

– I think that what has happened after the WC should make people – general chess fans and other professional players – understand how tough these events are. For now it is a year since the WC, and there are not many signs that he has recovered from it, says Carlsen in the podcast with Askild Bryn and Odin Blikra Vea.

• For the record: Askild Bryn and Odin Blikra Vea, the duo behind the podcast Sjakksnakk, have periodically been associated with NRK as chess experts.

– An insignificant parenthesis

Recently, Liren’s opponent for this autumn’s WC match became clear: The 17-year-old Indian Dommaraju Gukesh will challenge for the title.

It became clear after the great talent won the candidate tournament. When the world rankings are updated next, it is expected that Liren will be number seven in the world, while Gukesh will take a giant leap from 16th to 6th place.

– If they meet now with their latest achievements, then it is obvious that Gukesh wins. If Ding finds his way back to the Ding he was five years ago, it will be a very exciting match, says Stanford.

At the moment, Bae also holds the 17-year-old as a favourite. It is the next generation of chess players, he believes.

– It is sometimes like that in the history of chess that there is a natural logic to it, without us therefore being able to consider ourselves fortune tellers, says NRK’s ​​expert and concludes:

– But it is somewhat in the cards that it is Gukesh’s turn to take over, and that Ding Liren will end up as an insignificant bracket in chess history.

– If Ding continues to play poorly until the World Cup, I don’t think we should expect him at a higher level when it comes, says Carlsen.