Today’s game comes from the Chinese Chess League, a professional league that features most of China’s best players with a sprinkling of foreign players. Each match has five boards, two boards saved for women. It’s a double round robin event of 12 teams played yearly between April and December.

 King hunts have a long and proud tradition in the chess world, and today’s game will certainly be added to this fabric. The game is between Ding Liren, the first Chinese player to make it to the candidates tournament, against 18-year-old Bai Jinshi. It shows Ding to be an inspired tactical player, finding move after move to chase White’s king to the edge of the board and his doom. The game has been called by many the best game of the year.

2017 Chinese Chess League

Bai, Jinshi (2585) -

Ding, Liren (2759)

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.Nf3 0–0 5.Bg5 c5 6.e3 cxd4 7.Qxd4!? A new move, at least I can’t find it having been played before. 7...Nc6 8.Qd3 h6 9.Bh4 d5 10.Rd1 g5 11.Bg3 Ne4 12.Nd2Nc5 13.Qc2 d4!? Black has to be aggressive, if he lets White catch up in development, his king side weakness will most likely be a problem. 14.Nf3 White was counting on this move. 14...e5 Not now 14...dxc3 as after 15.Rxd8 cxb2+ 16.Rd2 Rd8 17.Qxb2 g4 18.Qxb4 Nxb4 19.Rxd8+ White is better. 15.Nxe5?! 15.Bxe5 is better avoiding all the trouble and leading to equality after 15…Nxe5 16.Nxe5 Qf6 17.exd4 Bf5 18.Qd2 Rae8 15...dxc3!! Brilliant! All positional considerations are out the window as pure calculations take over. 16.Rxd8 If 16.bxc3 Qa5 17.cxb4 Nxb4 18.Qd2 (18.Qb1 Nc2+ 19.Ke2 Bf5) 18...Ne4 wins 16...cxb2+ 17.Ke2?? I’m sure this was played routinely but 17.Rd2 is essential and keeps him afloat after 17…Rd8 18.Nf3 Bg4 19.Qxb2 Bxf3 20.gxf3 Rxd2 21.Qxd2 Bxd2+ 22.Kxd2 Rd8+ 23.Ke2 Nb4 with dynamic equality 17...Rxd8 18.Qxb2 Black has just a rook and bishop for his queen but after Black’s next, White’s king goes for a long, and an unwanted, walk. 18...Na4! Probably overlooked by White. 19.Qc2 Or 19.Nxc6 Nxb2 20.Nxd8 Ba5 21.Be5 Nxc4 22.Bf6 Bg4+ 23.Kd3 Bxd8 24.Bxd8 Nb2+ 25.Kc2 Nd1 26.Be7 Rc8+ 27.Kd2 Nxf2 28.Rg1 Bf5 29.e4 Nxe4+ 30.Ke3 Rc1 31.g4 Re1+ 32.Kf3 Nd2+ 33.Kf2 Rxe7 winning 19...Nc3+ 20.Kf3 20.Ke1 Ne4+ 21.Ke2 Nxe5 22.Bxe5 Rd2+ 23.Qxd2 Nxd2 leaves White a piece down. 20...Rd4!! A real shot! Now 21...g4+ is the threat. And if he takes the rook he ends up in a lost position a piece down, 21.exd4 Nxd4+ and 22…Nxc2. 21.h3 or21.Qxc3 Bxc3 22.exd4 Nxd4+ 23.Ke3 Nf5+ 24.Ke4 Be6 25.Nf3 Rd8 26.Bd3 g4 27.Rc1 gxf3 28.Rxc3 fxg2 29.Rc1 Rd4+ 30.Kf3 g1Q 31.Rxg1 Rxd3+ 32.Ke2 Bxc4; 21.exd4 Nxd4+ 22.Ke3 Nxc2+ 23.Kd2 Na3 And White is down a piece for nothing 21...h5 Very persistent, g4+ is once again the threat. 22.Bh2 g4+ 23.Kg3 Rd2! 24.Qb3 Ne4+ 25.Kh4 25.Kf4 Rxf2+ 26.Kxe4 Bf5+ 27.Kd5 Rd8+ 28.Nd7 Rxd7+ 29.Bd6 Rxd6# 25...Be7+ 26.Kxh5 Kg7!! One engine now says it’s now mate in 13! A quiet move like this in such a crazy position takes nerves of steel and great, great tactical ability. The idea is Be6 or Bf5 and then Rh8/Bg6 mate, and amazingly enough White is powerless to stop it. 27.Bf4 Bf5 28.Bh6+ Kh7 29.Qxb7 Rxf2! 30…Ng6# is now the threat 30.Bg5 Rh8 31.Nxf7 31.Qxe7 Kg7+ 32.Bh6+ Rxh6# 31...Bg6+ 32.Kxg4 Ne5+ 33.Nxe5 Bf5+ 34.Kh5 Kg7+ 35.Bh6+ Rxh6# A very nice finish; 0–1

Chris Chase can be reached at BostonGlobeChessNotes@gmail.com.