17th World Champion Ding Liren commented on his message to fans after winning both gold medals at the FIDE World Rapid & Blitz Team Championships 2026. Ding notes his 2026 victories, and recalls the 2018 Chess Olympiad.
Ding Liren
17th World Champion“I’m back to the competitive chess!
This time, there’s nothing better than winning both gold medals. I remember in 2018 in Batumi, we won both the men’s and women’s sections.
This year has been amazing. And I’ve already won a lot of tournaments, and nothing compares to that.”
Ding Liren won the 2026 SCO International Team Chess Tournament as part of the Chinese main team. Ding competed in the 2026 Chinese Team Championship, and his team finished in 8th place. In 2026, Liren gained +3.6 rating points in Classical, and lost 32.5 points in Rapid and 21.1 in Blitz.
The FIDE World Rapid & Blitz Team Chess Championships 2026 took place from June 17 to 21, in Wan Chai, Hong Kong. Ding Liren’s team, Dragon Chilling, won both the Rapid and Blitz sections of the event and earned €185,000 in prize money.
Credit: Michal Walusza / FIDE
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