2023 World Chess Championship: Game 5
2023 World Chess ChampionshipAstana, Kazakhstan (April 7th-May 1st) 
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2023 World Chess Championship: Game 5
Saturday, 15 April 2023
Nepomniachtchi responds with an impressive win!
Just when we thought we’d have to wait to see how Ian Nepomniachtchi would respond to his first loss, he responds with an impressive performance with a Game 5 win.
In the Anti-Marshall line of the Ruy Lopez, both sides quickly played the opening but the position that transpired in the middlegame seemed to be more suited to Nepomniachtchi’s style of play. Nepomniachtchi made an h2-h4-h5 advance on the kingside, securing the position for the knight on f5, which was a foundation for the future attack while Ding was on the defensive. In the positional maneuvering that followed Ding could not find the best plan and White gradually inched his way towards a better position.
~Milan Dinic/FIDE
There were some very instructive ideas leading up to the critical point. Nepo’s 33.g4! and later breaking through with 37.g5 hxg5 38.Rg4! giving white a winning attack against the black king.
If 38…f6 then 39.Nh4! is the killer.
Ding was able to get the queens off the board, but it did not ease the pressure. Nepo kept pounding with 43.Qxa8+ Rxa8 44.f6! making way for the h-pawn. Once the white king aided the attack after 47.Kg4, black was helpless and resigned after 47…Rxb2 48.Rh6.
Ding Liren: “This loss hurt more than the previous one because I thought I was totally fine!”
Photo by Anna Shtourman
It was a powerful performance by the Russian player and showed that he may have the ability to punch back unlike in the Magnus Carlsen match. Both men are in top form and we are watching a gladiator battle.
Analysis by IM Robert Ris (ChessBase)
Game 5 – Full Broadcast
Video by chess24
Press Conference – Game 5
Videos by FIDE Chess
Video by GM Daniel King