AFTER drawing Sunday’s first game in the World Chess Championship, China’s Ding Liren went out on a limb in the second today with a little-explored line — but his plan was thwarted by Ian Nepomniachtchi of Russia.

Nepomniachtchi, playing black, comfortably coped with Ding’s off-piste excursion and steadily gained ground on his adversary until the Chinese player, deep in time trouble, conceded after 29 moves with a black pawn promotion looming.

The match, being played in Astana, Kazakhstan, has garnered little mainstream media attention because the dominant figure in world chess for the past decade, Magnus Carlsen of Norway, has chosen not to defend his title, leaving the contest a little devalued in his absence, but  a prize fund of €2 million —  60 per cent going to the winner — is not to be sneezed at.