Nicholas Pearson

On​ the morning of 18 April 2023, the chess grandmaster Ding Liren was discussing tactics with his coach. He was due to play game 7 of his world championship match against Ian Nepomniachtchi that afternoon. They were tied 3-3; the first player to seven and a half points would inherit the crown. What unfolded over the next few hours was one of the most astonishing mental disintegrations witnessed in grandmaster chess.