Last modified on Fri 30 Apr 2021 11.47 EDT Ian Nepomniachtchi’s feat in qualifying as Magnus Carlsen’s official challenger in a €2m, 14-game world title series at Dubai in November has sparked Carlsen into a strong demonstration of his own skills. This week the Norwegian began the online New in Chess Classic with a 26-game unbeaten run as he aimed for his first victory of the Champions Chess Tour. Meanwhile, Nepomniachtchi’s celebrations this week at winning the Candidates with a round to spare were hit by a defeat in Tuesday’s dead rubber against China’s Ding Liren. The 30-year-old Muscovite said later that he lacked motivation for the game, a strange comment when a win would have raised his Fide world rating close to 2800, the super-elite level, while as it was Ding’s victory regained the No 3 spot in the ratings that he had briefly let slip a few days earlier.