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FIDE resumes the Candidates Tournament

by Shahid Ahmed - 16/02/2021

FIDE Candidates tournament will resume on 19th April 2021. The most important tournament to determine the challenger for the world championship came to an abrupt end last year due to the coronavirus pandemic. The second half of the tournament, the remaining seven rounds will resume in a little over two months time. Vachier-Lagrave and Nepomniachtchi are in the lead with 4.5/7, followed by Caruana, Giri, Hao and Grischuk at 3.5/7 each respectively. Who do you think will win Candidates and challenge Carlsen for the world championship? Photo: FIDE 

The Candidates Tournament, the biennial 8-player event that decides who will be the Challenger for the World Chess Championship title, will resume on the 19th of April in Yekaterinburg, Russia.

 

This double round-robin tournament kicked off on March 16, 2020. However, it had to be abruptly stopped 11 days later when the Russian government announced the closure of air traffic with other countries, amid a rapidly escalating coronavirus pandemic.

 

The sudden crisis left hanging this prestigious event, one of the oldest traditions in the world of sports. Since half the rounds had already been played, this interruption created an unprecedented situation, as the regulations stipulate that the results obtained until that point must stand - rather than having the tournament re-started from scratch. When the tournament was interrupted, the French Maxime Vachier-Lagrave and the Russian Ian Nepomniachtchi were in the lead, with 4½ points after seven games. Fabiano Caruana (USA), Anish Giri (Netherlands), Wang Hao (China) and Alexander Grischuk (Russia) are in the chasing pack, all with 4½ points.

 

After a long wait, the challenger to Magnus Carlsen's throne will be finally known by the 28th of April.

 

This is the detailed schedule for the second half of the tournament, to which all players have agreed on and expressed their readiness to take part in:

19th April 2021 - Round 8

20th April 2021 - Round 9

21st April 2021 - Round 10

(22nd April 2021 - Rest day)

23rd April 2021 - Round 11

24th April 2021 - Round 12

(25th April 2021 - Rest day)

26th April 2021 - Round 13

27th April 2021 - Round 14

28th April 2021 - Tie-breaks (if required)

 

The eyes of the entire chess world will be on this tournament, which is expected to receive massive coverage. The recent surge of interest towards chess and the special circumstances around the event guarantees the biggest number of spectators for any Candidates Tournament in chess history.

Standings after Round 7:

Rk.SNo NameFEDRtgPts. TB1  TB2  TB3 
11GMVachier-Lagrave MaximeFRA27674,51,0215,25
26GMNepomniachtchi IanRUS27744,50,0314,25
38GMCaruana FabianoUSA28423,51,5112,25
43GMGiri AnishNED27633,51,5111,25
7GMWang HaoCHN27623,51,5111,25
64GMGrischuk AlexanderRUS27773,51,5012,25
72GMDing LirenCHN28052,50,518,25
85GMAlekseenko KirillRUS26982,50,509,25

Pairings for round eight:

Bo.No.Rtg NameResultName RtgNo.
182842
GMCaruana FabianoGMVachier-Lagrave Maxime
27671
272762
GMWang HaoGMDing Liren
28052
362774
GMNepomniachtchi IanGMGiri Anish
27633
452698
GMAlekseenko KirillGMGrischuk Alexander
27774

Details

Replay all Round 1-7 games

About the Candidates Tournament

The current format of the Candidates Tournament was established in 1950 as the best way to determine who should be the World Champion Challenger. Currently, it is fought under the format of a double round-robin tournament (14 rounds), with the eight best players on the planet- except the champion himself.

 

The selection process from which the World Chess Challenger emerges is probably one of the toughest of any sport. The scarcity of opportunities to ascend this summit makes any mistake more tragic, increasing the epic nature of the struggle.

About the World Chess Championship

The winner of the Candidates Tournament will be Carlsen's rival in the World Championship Match, a face-off between two contenders where they play to the best of 14 games. The 2021 World Championship match will take place 24 November – 16 December 2021 as one of the highlights of the Expo 2020 Dubai. The two players will compete for a prize fund of 2 million euros.

Source


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