Participants at the Candidates tournament.
| Photo Credit: FIDE
It was broadly anticipated all alongside, but it surely has now change into official — Magnus Carlsen won’t play the Candidates tournament in April. The occasion that may decide who takes on the World chess champion Ding Liren is just not going to function the World No. 1 and five-time World champion from Norway.
Carlsen has formally withdrawn from the tournament to be held in Toronto by a letter to the world chess governing physique FIDE. His place — which he earned by profitable the World Cup — has gone to Nijat Abasov of Azerbaijan. The high three from the World Cup, which was held within the Azerbaijan capital of Baku, would have certified, and Abasov had completed fourth, behind Carlsen, India’s R. Praggnanandhaa and American Fabiano Caruana. India will probably be represented by two extra gamers — Vidit Gujrathi (the winner of the Grand Swiss tournament) and D. Gukesh (the FIDE Circuit winner). That makes India the nation with the best variety of members within the eight-player round-robin occasion. And India has had none since 2016.
Until Praggnanandhaa clinched the qualification spot together with his excellent efficiency at the World Cup in Baku, Viswanathan Anand — a five-time World champion — had been the one Indian to play on this prestigious occasion. , the World championship’s semifinal for all sensible functions.
That India has claimed three out of the eight locations out there at the Candidates reveals how a lot the sport has moved forward within the nation.
The line-up in Toronto is accomplished by Russian Ian Nepomniachtchi (because the runner-up of the final World championship), Hikaru Nakamura of the United States (the runner-up at Grand Swiss) and Alireza Fioruzja of France (the participant with one of the best ranking).
Moreover, two Indians will compete within the Women’s Candidates. R. Vaishali certified by profitable the Women’s Grand Swiss, whereas Okay. Humpy made it on account of getting one of the best ranking.
The others within the area are the Russians Kateryna Lagno and Aleksandra Goryachkina (the winner and the runner-up of the Women’s Grand Prix), China’s Lei Tingjie (the runner-up at the final World championship, Nuryul Salimova of Bulgaria (the runner-at the World Cup), Anna Muzychuk of Ukraine (third place at the Women’s World Cup) and Tan Zhongyi of China (third place at Women’s Grand Swiss).
The winner will take on the reigning World champion Ju Wenjun of China.
