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Liren has dropped out of the official FIDE ratings list due to the low number of games the Chinese star has played in recent times, deeming him to be ineligible to make the list.
Ding Liren. (X)
Former World Champion Ding Liren has dropped out of the official FIDE ratings list due to the very few number of games the Chinese star has managed to play in recent times, deeming him to be ineligible to make the list.
Liren, who became the World Champion in the year 2017 with his win over Ian Nepomniachtchi, surrendered the title to Indian Gukesh in 2024, after a run of poor form as he dealt with deteriorating mental health.
“I quite enjoy my current situation. What I mean is, being a player with an inactive rating, who seldom participates in elite invitationals. I’m enjoying this rare moment of leisure,” the Chinese star said.
Liren, who has a terrible run of form in the lead up to his game against Gukesh, was given no chance by the Chess fraternity, but the Chinese champion stunned the world by going the distance against the in form Gukesh, only to be undone by a blunder in the 14th and final game of the championships series.
Liren stated that he does play online every now and then and has been enjoying the process of unsplit focus for the duration of the game and the lack of heavy prep in the build up to it.
“I keep up playing the occasional game online: it doesn’t require arduous pre-game preparation, just undivided concentration in the moment. The process itself is rewarding,” he said.
Liren reflected on his ‘road not taken’ and opined that he regrets not having concentrated on the academic front growing up, but also acknowledged the philosophical irony in it.
“I wish my younger self had studied more and persisted in academics a bit longer, not letting it fall to the wayside. That way, later years of life might be richer. People always dwell on the things they didn’t do or paths they didn’t take,” he concluded.
March 19, 2026, 11:17 IST
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