New world chess champion Ding Liren captures people's hearts
By Jorge I. Aguadero Casado
Please allow me to start the story in an unconventional way: I am going to tell you about my own experience.
When I was in Madrid during the Candidates Tournament, the event that would decide who would ultimately compete for the title of world chess champion, I was asking the workers of the palace where the competition was being held and who was their favorite chess player. Everyone told me the same thing: "The Chinese player!"
In such a Western setting, it might have made sense that the staff's affections would have turned toward a more culturally relatable player, but the humble nature of the Eastern talent has made him a favorite of everyone.
I have the pleasure of getting to know Ding Liren since I interviewed him in Mallorca, Spain. My heart has filled with joy to see that, over the years that young man has continued to preserve his wonderful qualities.
In the post-game after becoming the new Chess World Champion, he left everyone breathless by stating, "I know myself, I will cry and burst into tears... That match reflected the deepest parts of my soul."
This is Ding Liren, our new world chess champion.
请允许我以一种非常规的方式开始这个故事：我要告诉你我自己的经历。
当我在马德里参加候选人锦标赛时，这场比赛将决定谁将最终角逐世界象棋冠军的头衔，我当时正在询问举办比赛的宫殿的工作人员，以及他们最喜欢的棋手是谁。每个人都对我说同样的话：“中国选手！”
在这样的西方背景下，工作人员的感情会转向更具文化相关性的球员可能是有道理的，但东方天才的谦虚本性使他成为每个人的最爱。
自从在西班牙马略卡岛采访丁立人以来，我有幸结识了他。看到这个年轻人多年来一直保持着他出色的品质，我的心充满了喜悦。
在成为新一届国际象棋世界冠军后的赛后，他让所有人屏息，“我知道我自己，我会哭，会泪流满面……那场比赛反映了我灵魂最深处。”
这是丁立人，我们新的国际象棋世界冠军。
Who is Ding?
Born in Wenzhou, East China's Zhejiang Province in 1992, Ding retains his youthful charm with a benevolent smile, an innocent gaze and a tranquil voice, endearing him to chess enthusiasts worldwide.
Over the past few weeks, he has ascended to the summit of the chess world in Astana, Kazakhstan, driven by his goal to secure China its first-ever absolute world chess championship. The 30-year-old arrived at the event balancing his youthful exuberance with the wisdom of experience. His formidable opponent, the equally powerful Ian Nepomniachtchi of Russia, was making another attempt at the world title.
For the chess aficionado, this has been a frenetic duel of opposing styles: The positional game of control from Ding versus the tactical calculation-based play of the Russian. Although the championship began on a sour note for Ding, he refused to yield in the face of adversity, took infinite risks, equalized the score and eventually emerged victorious.
This achievement reminds me of an anecdote involving Ding himself, in which he revealed his deep aversion to losing, "I suffer a lot when I lose."
Even when faced with a serious injury, such as the hip fracture he suffered during an event in Norway a few years ago, Ding remained steadfast in his professional duties, only seeking medical attention after fulfilling his commitments while filming a TV show.
Remarkably, he soon led the Chinese team to victory in the 2018 Chess Olympiad championship, even on crutches and despite the immense physical exertion required after surgery.
In short, Ding's latest achievement has cemented his status as a brilliant and beloved chess player, capturing the hearts and admiration of the chess community around the world.
丁立人是谁？
1992年出生于中国东部浙江省温州市的丁立人，以温和的笑容、天真无邪的眼神、恬静的声音，始终保持着青春的魅力，深受全球象棋爱好者的喜爱。
在过去的几周里，他登上了哈萨克斯坦阿斯塔纳国际象棋世界的顶峰，他的目标是确保中国获得有史以来第一个绝对的国际象棋世界冠军。这位 30 岁的年轻人来到活动现场，平衡了他的青春活力与经验智慧。他的强大对手，同样强大的俄罗斯选手涅波穆尼亚奇，正在再次尝试争夺世界冠军头衔。
对于国际象棋爱好者来说，这是一场对立风格的激烈对决：丁的位置控制游戏与俄罗斯基于战术计算的游戏。冠军赛虽然开局不利，但他在逆境中不屈服，冒着无限风险，扳平比分，最终取得了胜利。
这个成就让我想起了丁先生自己的一段轶事，他流露出对失败的深深厌恶，“我输了就很痛苦”。
即使面临严重的伤病，比如几年前在挪威参加比赛时髋部骨折，丁立人依然坚守自己的职业职责，只是在拍摄电视节目时兑现承诺后才去就医。
值得注意的是，他很快就带领中国队赢得了 2018 年国际象棋奥林匹克竞赛冠军，即使是拄着拐杖，尽管手术后需要付出巨大的体力消耗。
简而言之，丁立人的最新成就巩固了他作为才华横溢、受人喜爱的国际象棋棋手的地位，赢得了全世界国际象棋界的喜爱和钦佩。
China in chess
I remember, at the beginning of the 1990s, telling my acquaintances that the future of chess was in China. Many laughed, because the results of the nation on the international scene were not outstanding.
However, one only had to take a look at the rankings of the age world championships to understand that things had changed: Chinese girls began to take the top positions and soon after, Chinese boys followed suit.
Today, to say "chess" in the world is to say "China." For this reason, it is no coincidence that the unstoppable development of China in chess has been parallel to its economic development.
It is no coincidence that the best active female player in the world is Hou Yifan, along with current world champion is Ju Wenjun and her challenger is Lei Tingjie (the two will play in Shanghai and Chongqing in July). They have more than enough reason to be proud of their progress in chess, with seven Chinese female players in the world top 50.
What, then, are the keys to the development and strength of chess in China? In my opinion, it is the fact that since the 1980s it has been following a plan whose first objective was to achieve success in the women's world championships, and then follow with increasingly ambitious goals.
Xie Jun led the way in 1991 and since then the following Chinese chess players have won the world title for their nation: Zhu Chen, Xu Yuhua, Hou Yifan, Tan Zhongyi and Ju Wenjun. Six of the last 11 world female champions are Chinese!
Another example of this is China's success in the Chess Olympiads, the main team competition. China has won two of the last five editions. Its model of success, training in the youth, contrasts with the model chosen by the US. The result? A championship in 2018. In the female competitions, China has won seven of the last 12 editions, while the US has never won.
国际象棋在中国
我记得，在 1990 年代初，我告诉我的熟人，国际象棋的未来在中国。许多人笑了，因为这个国家在国际舞台上的成绩并不突出。
然而，只要看看世锦赛年龄段的排名就知道，情况发生了变化：中国女孩开始占据榜首，紧接着，中国男孩紧随其后。
今天，在世界上说“棋”就是说“中国”。正因如此，中国象棋势不可挡的发展与其经济发展并驾齐驱并非巧合。
世界最佳现役女选手侯逸凡并非巧合，现任世界冠军居文君和她的挑战者雷廷杰（两人将于7月在上海和重庆比赛）。他们有足够的理由为自己在国际象棋方面的进步感到自豪，有七名中国女棋手进入世界前 50 名。
那么，中国象棋发展壮大的关键是什么？在我看来，事实是，自 1980 年代以来，它一直在遵循一个计划，其首要目标是在女子世界锦标赛中取得成功，然后是越来越雄心勃勃的目标。
谢军在 1991 年一马当先，此后，以下中国棋手先后为自己的国家赢得了世界冠军：朱宸、徐玉华、侯逸凡、谭忠义和居文君。前11位世界女冠军，中国人占6位！
另一个例子是中国在国际象棋奥林匹克竞赛中取得的主要团体比赛的成功。中国赢得了过去五届中的两届。它的成功模式，即对年轻人的培训，与美国选择的模式形成鲜明对比。结果？ 2018年的冠军。在女子比赛中，中国队在过去12届比赛中赢得了7场，而美国队从未夺冠。
The West loves Ding
I am pleased to tell you openly that the West, and especially Spain, has fallen in love with Ding, that our social networks are filled with messages of support for the Chinese talent whenever he loses and explosions of joy when he wins.
This does not mean that his formidable rival is disliked, as Nepomniachtchi also has many followers and a gentlemanly demeanor.
What I want to convey is that, beyond other considerations, the Chinese superstar is well loved for the human values he represents: truly humble, oblivious to the luxuries of money, familiar, with excellent manners, kindly shyness and immaculate honor in the exercise of his profession.
The author is a Spanish writer and editor-in-chief of the chess magazine Peón de Rey. He also collaborates with the Global Times writing about international politics.
西方喜爱丁立人
我很高兴地公开告诉你们，西方，尤其是西班牙，已经爱上了丁立人，每当他输球时，我们的社交网络上充斥着支持中国人才的信息，当他获胜时，就会爆发出喜悦。
这并不意味着他强大的对手不受欢迎，因为涅波穆尼亚奇也有许多追随者和绅士风度。
我想传达的是，除了其他考虑之外，这位中国超级巨星因其所代表的人类价值观而备受喜爱：真正谦虚，对金钱的奢侈视而不见，熟悉，举止得体，善良害羞，在行使职业时完美无暇的荣誉。
作者是西班牙作家，国际象棋杂志《Peón de Rey》的主编。他还与《环球时报》合作撰写有关国际政治的文章。
注：文章来源于Global Times
