After defeating Ian Nepomniachtchi of Russia, Ding Liren has become the first male world chess champion from China but what about his marital status? Does he have a wife? Or does he have a girlfriend who he is dating right now?
Here’s what we’ve discovered about his past and current girlfriend situation. Keep scrolling down to read all about Ding Liren’s girlfriend.
Ding Liren Wife: Is The World Chess Champion Married?
Chinese Chess grandmaster Ding Lire is likely unmarried but nothing can be said for sure as he chose to remain private about his personal life. We know for sure that he wasn’t married at least until 2017. However, since his interview with Chess Base, conducted by Sagar Shah, it has been five years.
In his recent match in 2023, where he won against Russia’s Ian Nepomniachtchi, he wasn’t seen wearing any wedding bands on his finger. But, in Asian culture, men don’t necessarily wear a wedding ring and women started wearing rings not long before in Christian-influenced countries.
So, it is unclear if he is married and has a wife.
Ding Liren Girlfriend: Is The Chinese Grandmaster Dating Anyone?
Ding Liren did have a girlfriend or at least he mentioned having a girlfriend back in 2017. When the interviewer of International Master Sagar Shah of Chess Base asked if he had a girlfriend, Ding Liren answered, “Yes. She is a chess player, but not so strong. We do sometimes practice chess in Beijing. I do not wish to reveal her name.”
So, we can say that he had a girlfriend who shares a passion for chess.
Many of his fans assumed another chess player Hou Yifan was his girlfriend. But, Ding shared that his girlfriend is not a strong chess player and his Hou is a phenomenal player, so she is not Ding’s girlfriend.
During a 2020 interview with Chess.com, he also discussed about relationships and marriage. He opened up about his simple life in his hometown and living on his own leaving his parent’s house.
Ding spoke of girlfriend’s situation saying, “I think this will maybe happen when I have a stable relationship with a woman. I don’t really have any desire to live alone. Sometimes I go and spend time with my grandparents. They are very close nearby, and sometimes when my parents are working, I go see them. But in China, it is the culture that you only (normally) get your own flat once you get married or when you get engaged, so basically when you have a stable girlfriend.”
During that interview, Ding mentioned that his most recent relationship at the time ended at the end of 2019. He blamed his traveling as the reason for his breakup.
Regarding issues of having difficulty maintaining relationships, Ding said, “Yes, I have to agree. In nearly every relationship, it’s a problem being so far away most of the year. Especially this year, I’ve played many tournaments. In June I spent the whole month in Europe. It’s hard to find someone who’s happy with that. My last relationship ended at the end of last year, and the traveling was perhaps a reason for that.”
It is unclear if he currently has a girlfriend or not.
Ding Liren Parents
Ding Liren was born on 24 October 1992 in Wenzhou in Zhejiang Province. Liren is his first name and Ding is his family name. His parents still reportedly live in Wenzhou. Ding’s dad is an electrical engineer by trade. And, his mom has a job as a nurse in a hospital.
Ding Liren Height
Ding Lire’s height measures around 5 feet 8 inches.
How Much Is Ding Liren Net Worth?
Ding Liren’s net worth is likely under $200 thousand. The Chinese grandmaster started playing chess very early in his life. It was his mother and her friends who decided that their kids should start playing chess and signed him up to a chess club.
He told IM Sagar, “Wenzhou is a chess city in China. Former women’s World Champion Zhu Chen is from Wenzhou and also the match between Xie Jun and Korchnoi took place in the city. There is a good atmosphere to study chess here. I had the same initial coaches as Zhu Chen. Chen Lixing was my first coach. He is very famous in the Wenzhou Chess Association.”
The chess player quickly achieved significant success thanks to his incredible levels of talent and extraordinary perseverance; at the age of 16, Ding won the Chinese championship. He replicated this feat in 2011 and 2012. Since 2009, he has held the title of international grandmaster.
Every year in summer he would participate in the Li Chengzhi Cup when he was young which was the strongest tournament for teenagers where he played in all categories. He added, “The Li Chengzhi Cup helped me to grow up into a strong chess player, to develop my chess skills, to fight with other players from different provinces in China.”
In 2012, Ding Liren finished third overall in the global U20 championship, a one-half point behind Richard Rapport and Alexander Ipatov. He was defeated by Wesley So in the opening round of the 2011 World Cup. He had to wait five years for his retaliation, which came in 2016 during a friendly match in which the Chinese grandmaster defeated So 2,5:1,5.
Talking about education, Ding attended Peking University where he studied law. The Chinese player said in the interview, “I was studying in class ten until 2009. It was only then that I decided to become a professional chess player. My parents think it’s much better to learn something other than chess. I had the chance to go to Peking University, which is one of the best in China, without giving any entrance examination. I got admission based on my chess achievements. It’s a good chance to open my eyes to the world, to learn something new. ”
However, instead of a career in law, he would rather choose a career in chess.
Ding doesn’t entertain playing video games as he finds it boring. His choices of sports have been basketball and football instead.
Related FAQs
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Is Ding Liren On Instagram And Twitter?
It is unclear if Ding Liren has an Instagram or not but he certainly has an account (@dingliren_chess) with 19.1K followers. But, we were not able to discover his Twitter account.
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When Is Ding Liren Birthday?
Ding Liren’s birthday is on 24 October.
