For the next 3 weeks, Madrid will be the epicenter of the chess world, when 8 top chess players fight each other to play next year against Magnus Carlsen for the world title. Never before has the Candidate Tournament attracted so much attention and that has not only to do with the hype surrounding chess.
The opulent Palacio de Santoña is the stage for the biennial Chess Candidate Tournament until 5 July. At this tournament, 8 chess players can fight to see who can play against the world champion a year later.
This year the tournament is extra special. Reigning champion Magnus Carlsen has repeatedly indicated in recent months that he has little interest in a sixth title fight.
The reason is that at 31, the Norwegian is looking for other challenges in the sport. A sixth world title would do little to change his status as the “GOAT” (Greatest of All Time) of chess.
A title fight also requires extremely spartan preparation, in which you and your team have to spend months looking for original ideas to surprise the opponent.
Carlsen has therefore set himself the goal of becoming the first chess player ever to achieve an ELO rating of 2900, something no one ever thought possible. Only when the winner of the Candidate Tournament stimulates him enough, Carlsen would still take up the gauntlet. In the other case, the top 2 of Madrid will play for the released world title.
Kandidaat 1: Alireza Firouzja
The only chess player that Carlsen would definitely want to play is the Iranian-French prodigy Alireza Firouzja. Firouzja is seen as the best known successor to the Norwegian. That thought should give Carlsen the fuel to prove he won’t just give up his scepter.
Firouzja, who is also often referred to by his first name Alireza, was born north of Tehran 18 years ago. As with any child prodigy in chess, his talent was evident from an early age. At the age of 12 he was already Iranian champion, at the age of 14 grandmaster.
But because of his Iranian nationality, he encountered some restrictions internationally. Iran still forbids its athletes, including its chess players, from playing against Israeli athletes.
Firouzja did not agree and moved with his family to France. Since last year he also officially comes out under the French flag.
But why is Carlsen so stimulated by this Firouzja, after all, not the only child prodigy in the sport? Well, in December of last year, the teenager broke the magical 2800 mark on the ELO ranking, becoming the youngest player ever. A record he stole from… Magnus Carlsen.
It is almost beyond dispute that Firouzja will one day become world champion. But whether he will be in the short term is still a question mark. Although he is without a doubt the most talented, he has often been the victim of his own flaws in the past: quick temper, stress and inexperience at the highest level. Will that also affect him in Madrid?
Kandidaat 2: Hikaru Nakamura
Alireza Firouzja has divided chess fans into two distinct camps due to his remarkable combination of somewhat adolescent quick temper and brilliant chess talent. It evokes memories of a similar figure from about ten years ago: Hikaru Nakamura.
The Japanese-born American Nakamura was not the most beloved figure in chess for years, but he was a deadly challenger for Carlsen. That long-awaited match never came.
Nakamura therefore changed the rifle’s shoulder. Not long before the corona pandemic, he started to focus more and more on online streaming. It was a perfect storm: while everyone had to stay indoors, chess was (re)discovered by many. Nakamura’s streams proved to be the ideal medicine for many people during the pandemic.
His super-popular channel (1.4 million followers on Twitch, 1.28 million on YouTube) gives his fans a mix of fast-paced chess videos and memes. The young people especially like it.
Nakamura has become richer than he ever could from chess itself thanks to his streams. The surprise was therefore great when he suddenly registered for the FIDE Grand Prix at the beginning of this year and, after a few years of inactivity, managed to get a ticket for the Candidate Tournament. Will that clash between the two most popular figures in chess finally happen?
The missing candidate: Sergei Karjakin
Who we will not see in Madrid in the coming days is the Russian Sergej Karjakin. Karjakin pushed Carlsen to the limit in their World Cup battle in 2016 and is still one of the strongest players in the world.
But in recent months Karjakin has fallen from his pedestal. It already started after the last World Cup, in which Jan Nepomniashchi had to bow to Carlsen. When it turned out that the latter was helped by the Russian Daniil Doebov, Karjakin injected his poison for the first time. After all, Dubov would be a traitor by not having supported the Russian candidate.
But after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the ubernationalist Karjakin, who was born in Crimea, was completely derailed. In some distasteful tweets, he made fun of the war and instead of apologizing afterwards, he stubbornly dug his heels in the sand.
Chess Federation FIDE imposed a suspension on Karjakin, which immediately cost him his participation in the Candidates Tournament. It seems doubtful that we will see him again at a chessboard anytime soon.
Kandidaat 3: Ding Liren
The exclusion of Sergei Karjakin was good news for Ding Liren. The number 2 in the world could not have qualified for the Candidates Tournament via the official route, for the simple reason that it was virtually impossible for residents of China to travel during the corona pandemic.
To fill Karjakin’s place, FIDE took the highest ranked chess player in the world rankings. There was only one condition: that person had to have played at least 30 official matches in the past year. And Ding didn’t touch that.
The Chinese immediately jumped into action and hastily organized a national tournament in which Ding could beat some local chess players in order to meet that condition. A sham tournament, according to some, but because just about everyone agrees that Ding is worthy of his place in the Candidates Tournament, the criticism quickly died down.
Should Ding qualify for the title fight – which according to the bookmakers is very likely – he would be the first male chess player from China to succeed. It could also be the start of a Chinese wave in chess, following the lead of the women, where China now has 4 players in the top 10.
The other candidates
- Fabiano Caruana: together with Ding Liren and Alireza Firouzja the big favorite to win the Candidates Tournament. The Italian American is known for his strong openings. It doesn’t seem likely that Carlsen is in the mood for another showdown with Caruana. In 2018, the latter already got his chance.
- Jan Nepomniastjsi: the loser of the previous World Cup, after a painful denouement. Nepomniashchi openly distanced himself from the Russian invasion, allowing him to continue playing. The chance of a new stunt at the Candidates Tournament seems small, the chance of a rematch against Carlsen seems non-existent.
- Richard Rapport: the most surprising name of the 8. Rapport is known for his inventive play, but his carelessness has killed him before. He also has a reputation for being a bit lazy, too unambitious. For example, he stated that he himself is not really looking forward to a World Cup title fight, so that it was jokingly said “that it would be the first World Cup match where both chess players do not feel like it”.
- Jan-Krzysztof Duda: the winner of the World Cup chess and the hope of the Polish nation. Duda may not be consistent enough to complete the marathon that is the Candidates Tournament, but when he has his day, he can be treacherous. For example, 2 years ago he ended the series of 125 unbeaten matches of Magnus Carlsen.
- Teimoer Radjabov: Radjabov should have played at the previous Candidate Tournament, but he withdrew for fear of corona. FIDE therefore gives him the chance to try again this time, but the Azeri’s form is so dramatic that no one gives him a realistic chance of winning.
