Will Richard Rapport be in Ding Liren’s corner for World Chess Championship battle against Gukesh?

But this clip around, determination is simply a question people implicit whether Rapport volition beryllium by Ding Liren’s broadside erstwhile the Chinese satellite champion takes connected the 18-year-old Gukesh, who is bidding to beryllium the youngest satellite champion successful history.

When asked what we had learnt astir Ding Liren and Gukesh’s signifier astatine the World Chess Championship, Rapport curiously said: “I don’t privation to respond excessively much, due to the fact that I’m not having moving relations (with Ding). I inactive consciousness similar I’m connected affable presumption with Ding. So I don’t similar to sermon this excessively overmuch astir friends.”

Rapport’s power was wide thought to beryllium the crushed wherefore Ding played a mates of unconventional moves astatine the World Championship against Nepomniachtchi. So not having him backmost for the 2nd clip signals an volition to effort caller tactics from the satellite champion. Of course, Gukesh and his squad would not work excessively overmuch into immoderate of this, considering the cloak-and-dagger mode of however satellite title contenders operate.

Rapport added: “When it came to their levels, I deliberation arsenic a chess instrumentality I anticipation that adjacent though Gukesh has been showing truly awesome performances lately portion Ding has not truly (been showing bully performances), to enactment it mildly, the satellite title lucifer is going to beryllium a antithetic communicative simply due to the fact that it is simply a match, it’s 1 connected one! It’s not astir beating each the guys, it’s astir beating the aforesaid guy.

“Because of Ding’s past experience… playing successful the satellite title earlier volition assistance Ding. I don’t consciousness similar the likelihood are excessively one-sided arsenic it seems close present and arsenic colleagues of excavation are saying. I’m looking guardant to watching them play and watching bully prime chess arsenic a satellite championship,” said Rapport, who volition beryllium teammates with 2 erstwhile satellite champions successful the signifier of Magnus Carlsen and Hou Yifan successful the 2nd variation of the Global Chess League astatine the Alpine SG Pipers team, wherever Praggnanandhaa volition besides beryllium a player.

Last year, successful an interrogation with The Indian Express, Rapport had spoken astir the acquisition of helping Ding Liren.

“I’m not a parent, but parents attraction for their children precise much. They ever consciousness similar helping the kid retired adjacent successful elemental tasks. If they marque adjacent a tiny mistake, you consciousness that possibly you should’ve done thing more. It becomes a genuinely affectional connection. So yes, I would accidental that being a 2nd for the World Championship contender is similar taking attraction of a child… When you get invested successful this, it becomes precise stressful. I consciousness similar I mislaid 10 years of my life,” Rapport had said.