Ding Liren – Aronian, L.

2801 2019 · Draw

Ding Liren — who would become China’s first world champion in 2023 — meets Levon Aronian, one of the most imaginative players of his era and a multiple FIDE World Cup winner. Ding once put together a streak of around a hundred classical games without a loss, which makes Aronian’s cheek all the more fun: he hands over a pawn straight away in the Benko Gambit for open lines and pressure.