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Norways Magnus Carlsen is the worlds best chess player, but the World Chess Championship title currently belongs to Ding Liren of China.

Ding, who won the title in April after a grueling 14-game match with Russias Ian Nepomniachtchi, has been absent from the chess world since May. Ding will make his return on Sept. 10 in the first round of Chess.coms annual Speed Chess Championship (SCC), the websites flagship tournament. The event is entirely online.

Despite winning the world title in classical chess, Ding has slid to No. 4 in the world by classical rating, according to 2700chess.com. Its debatable whether hes even the second-strongest in the world.

Ding opened as a -250 betting odds favorite in his first-round match in the SCC against Indias Arjun Erigaisi, just 20 years old. Ding, 30, appears slightly past his peak strength at this point in his career. Arjun, part of a new crop of juniors surging up the rankings, is only improving. Hes currently No. 29 in the world by classical rating.

Oddsmakers at Bwin, a BetMGM-affiliated sportsbook, have Arjun as a +180 underdog.

The event is a 16-player single-elimination bracket.

Matches consist of three parts, two blitz and one bullet.

Matches start with 90 minutes of 5+1, followed by 60 minutes of 3+1 and 30 minutes of 1+1. The chess grandmasters earn one point for a win, 0.5 points for a draw and no points for a loss. The player with the most cumulative points at the end advances to the next round.

The format has been well-suited for American GM Hikaru Nakamura, winner of the past five events. Nakamura is the third-best chess player in the world by classical rating.

Despite the streak, Nakamuras +125 odds to claim another SCC title are longer than Carlsens (+110). GM Alireza Firouzja of France (world No. 5) is third on the odds list with +500.

No other player has tournament winner odds, but you can bet on the rest of the field at +1400.

Heres the full list of competitors:

The Ding-Arjun match is among the most interesting to kick off the event.

Ding could have some ring rust due to taking the summer off from competition, but he could also be fresh and well-rested for the tournament.

Meanwhile, Arjun has been playing a lot. He went deep in last months FIDE World Cup, a weeks-long knockout tournament held over the board. Arjun lost in a nail-biter nine-game match to fellow Indian GM Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa, the eventual runner-up. Arjun has played nearly 20 games against top-level competition since his World Cup exit.

Riding the wave of youthful energy, Arjun appears to be in great form this summer.

The -250 odds for Ding to prevail over Arjun appear to assume the former will be in his best form. We believe its too big of a gamble to bet Ding at that price.

We can rule out Ding for a wager, but is Arjun worth a punt at +180?

According to 2700chess.com, Arjun and Ding have played just three games together. All three were draws. Theres not much to go on there.

On Chess.com, Arjun and Ding have virtually identical ratings under their official accounts. However, Arjun plays far more often on the site, which could help him in the match. Lets look at their stats.

Arjun

Ding

Based on the information we have, this online match appears to be a toss-up.

If this match is roughly 50-50, the +180 price on Arjun is worth a wager. Arjuns odds imply that he has a roughly 35% chance of winning, which we think is too low.

Miguel Pereira/Getty Images

Excerpt from:
Chess World Champion Returns To Competition As (Overpriced ... - Forbes