2023 World Chess Championship: Game 1

2023 World Chess Championship Astana, Kazakhstan (April 7th-May 1st)
Game 1: Tense battle ends quietly
Match Score: ½-½
Official Site: https://worldchampionship.fide.com/

2023 World Chess Championship: Game 1
Sunday, 9 April 2023

Nepo presses, but Ding slips away

Game 1 of the 2023 World Chess Championship starts off with a Delayed Exchange Ruy Lopez, and Ian Nepomniachtchi applied pressure throughout, but Ding Liren resisted and held the balance. Here is an overview:

In a sideline of the Ruy Lopez opening, Ian Nepomniachtchi managed to surprise his opponent and seized the initiative as White. The Chinese player spent significantly more time in the opening and was struggling as White had an edge both on the board and on the clock.

Nepomniachtchi missed a crucial opportunity to build up his advantage during the critical moments of the game, just before the first time control at move 40, where both players would get an extra hour. Despite his opponent having only a few minutes left on his clock, Nepomniachtchi did not manage to make the most of his opportunities and chose a plan that ultimately proved to be ineffective. As a result, Ian lost his edge on the board.

~Milan Dinic/FIDE