In the final match of this year's World Chess Championship (冠军赛)，China's Ding Liren beat Russian-born Lan Nepomniachtchi. He is now the world chess champion. In China, chess is not very popular. So, how did Ding be a star in this sport?
Ding was born in Wenzhou in 1992. He learned to play chess when he was just four years old. At that time, Wenzhou was China's "chess city". It was a good place for learning and playing the game. At the age of five, he got his first junior champion in China. But it wasn't an easy way to be a big star in the chess world. The boy practiced the game for many hours every day. After twelve years' hard work, he did it! He was the youngest person ever to win this title.
Ding is very famous now in the chess world, but he keeps humble. He never says no when chess fans ask for his autograph (签名). He never regards (视作) himself as a superstar and he is always ready to talk about his problems in chess with his friends.
Now, Ding hopes more young people in China will start to know about chess. Would you like to learn this game? Ding asks beginners to buy good-looking pieces. In this way, you will enjoy the game more, and you are more likely to fall in love with it.
