Candidates Tournament to take place in Madrid sponsored by Chess.com
The 2022 Candidates Tournament, which will produce the challenger for the next world chess championship match, will take place in June-July 2022 in Madrid, Spain. As the organising sponsor of this prestigious tournament, Chess.com signed an agreement on Monday with governing body FIDE and the Scheinberg family, patrons of the event. The Candidates Tournament will once again be the most important tournament of the year, with eight top grandmasters fighting for a spot in the next title match. The previous Candidates tournament, which was held in Yekaterinburg, Russia partly in 2020 and partly in 2021 due to the Covid-19 pandemic, was one of the best-viewed tournaments in chess history. So far, six players have qualified for the 2022 edition: GMs Fabiano Caruana, Jan-Krzysztof Duda, Alireza Firouzja, Sergey Karjakin, Ian Nepomniachtchi, and Teimour Radjabov. The final two players will come from the 2022 FIDE Grand Prix, to be held February-April 2022. Following the agreement among FIDE, the Scheinberg family, and Chess.com, the dates and host city for the next Candidates Tournament have been set. The tournament is due to take place June 16 – July 7, 2022 in Madrid. The location of the playing hall is yet to be announced, but it’s known already that the opening and closing ceremonies will be held in the Four Seasons luxury hotel in the Spanish capital. “The Candidates tournament is one of the most exciting events in the chess calendar, and as such, it has massive followership. Its popularity has grown to the point that it is comparable to that of the World Championship Match. For FIDE, it is a great satisfaction to hold this important tournament in Spain, a country that loves chess,” said the FIDE President, Arkady Dvorkovich. “The partnership with Chess.com will also allow us to organise this event at the highest level, as was the case recently at the FIDE Chess.com Grand Swiss in Riga. Last but surely not least I’d like to thank the Scheinberg family, whose constant contribution to chess deserves real appreciation.” “For the Spanish Chess Federation, it will be a great honour to cooperate with FIDE and Chess.com in making this event happen. Chess has always been very popular in our country, and well respected as an educational tool, with hundreds of thousands of children engaged in chess activities in schools. Hosting a top sporting event like the Candidates brings media attention, and gives all these kids something to look up to.”, said Javier Ochoa, President of the Spanish Chess Federation. “I am very excited to be working with FIDE and the Scheinberg family on this event. As a fan, I’m already looking forward to following this incredible tournament and can’t wait for the outcome,” said Erik Allebest, CEO of Chess.com. “I am also happy for these amazing players to have the opportunity to play in such a wonderful city and what will surely be a great venue.” The tournament is made possible by the generous patronage of the Scheinberg family, who have stated to be honoured to once again contribute to a major chess event that is part of the world championship cycle. Chess.com will provide further support as a co-organizer and official broadcast partner, once again having exclusive footage from the playing hall on Twitch. Spain’s chess tradition is centuries old. The rules of chess as we know it today were established in Spain in the late 15th century, around the time when the Catholic priest Ruy Lopez de Segura (c. 1530 – c. 1580) was considered to be the strongest player in the world. All major chess events have taken place in Spain at least once, including among others the 1987 Kasparov-Karpov World Championship in Seville, the Susan Polgar- Xie Jun Women’s World Championship match in Jaen in 1996, and the Chess Olympiad in Calvia in 2004. Spain has also hosted the Candidates final twice before. In 1987 Anatoly Karpov qualified for his Sevilla match by defeating Andrei Sokolov in Linares, and the 1993 FIDE Candidates final between GM Nigel Short and GM Jan Timman was held in El Escorial, about 45 kilometres (28 miles) northwest of Madrid. The 1998 Magistral Comunidad de Madrid, won by GM Viswanathan Anand, was the last major chess tournament in the Spanish capital. The Candidates Tournament itself has a long tradition as well. It was first held in 1950 in Budapest and the second edition, the 1953 Candidates Tournament in Zurich, belongs to the most famous tournaments in chess history. In modern times, the 2013 Candidates Tournament in London was particularly dramatic and historic, when the current world champion GM Magnus Carlsen managed to qualify for his first world championship. He went on to beat Anand later that year, and successfully defended his title in 2014, 2016, 2018, and 2021. Recently, Carlsen has stated that he only wishes to defend his title if his opponent will be from the new generation of chess players. His preferred opponent is 18-year-old Firouzja, who recently surged to the world number-two position behind Carlsen as the youngest-ever player to break the 2800 Elo rating margin. Photo: Fermín Rodríguez Fajardo About FIDE: Founded in 1924, the International Chess Federation (FIDE) is the governing body of the sport of chess, and it regulates all international chess competitions. Constituted as a non-governmental institution, it was recognized by the International Olympic Committee as a Global Sporting Organisation in 1999. Headquartered in Lausanne, it is one of the largest sports organisations, encompassing 195 countries as affiliate members, in the form of National Chess Federations. About Chess.com: Chess.com is the world’s largest chess site, with a community of more than 77 million members from around the world playing millions of games every day. Launched in 2007, Chess.com is the leader in chess news, lessons, events, and live entertainment. Visit Chess.com to play, learn and connect with chess—the world’s most popular game. Contact: FIDE:press@fide.com Chess.com:press@chess.com
FIDE Congress 2021: Full schedule and detailed information
Please visit the FIDE Congress website for a full schedule, complete information and regular updates. The FIDE Annual Congress comprises meetings of the FIDE Commissions, Council and the Zonal Council as well as the General Assembly of FIDE, which is FIDE’s highest body. This year, the FIDE Congress will be held during the following dates: – FIDE Commissions meetings: December 6th – December 25th, 2021 (online format)– FIDE Zonal Council meeting: December 26th, 2021 (hybrid format)– FIDE Council meeting: December 27th, 2021 (hybrid format)– FIDE General Assembly: December 28th, 2021 (hybrid format)
FIDE World Rapid Chess Championships: Day 2 Recap
After two days and nine rounds in the open section of the World Rapid Chess Championship, world number one Magnus Carlsen is alone in the lead with 7.5/9, half a point ahead of everyone else. He is chased by three players, each on seven points – Alexander Grischuk, Ian Nepomniachtchi and, the big surprise of the tournament, 17-year-old Nodirbek Abdusattorov. In the women’s section, Alexandra Kosteniuk is dominating the tournament. With 7.5/9, she enters the final day with a point and a half ahead of everyone else. The Open tournament Magnus Carlsen is poised to defend his title of World Champion in rapid chess after another powerful performance in the four games played on the second day of the tournament. Following a draw in round six with Baadur Jobava (where Carlsen had a more comfortable position but the Georgian skilfully held on to the very endgame), the World Champion was then up against the world number two, Alireza Firouzja. All eyes were on this game as it was the first encounter between the two since Carlsen said that 18-year-old Firouzja is the only player who can motivate him to defend the title of World Champion in classical chess for the sixth time. In the Advance Variation of the Caro Kann, Carlsen obtained some space advantage and more comfortable play. Instead of waiting to be slowly crushed, Firouzja played bravely, realising that only action could give him an opportunity to neutralise Carlsen’s pressure. However, it did not work out as Magnus played with precision and never let him off the hook. The loss did not hinder Firouzja much as he drew the next game with Van Foreest and then defeated Kirill Shevchenko to finish the day on 6.5/9 and remain in the race for the top position. When we consider that Firouzja is 13 years younger than Carlsen and that he has already reached a 2800 ELO and has become the world’s number two at the age of 18, it is clear that the reigning World Champion has much to fear. The most dangerous opponent of the day for Carlsen proved to be his old rival Alexander Grischuk who, in the Queen’s Gambit Declined, had a slightly better position in which the World Champion all of a sudden blundered an exchange. Alexander, in his turn, failed to demonstrate the necessary accuracy and allowed Magnus to take the initiative in a very complex endgame. Luckily for Grischuk, the safety margin was sufficient for a draw, and a truce was called. The two then spent a while enthusiastically analysing the game. Carlsen finished the day on a high note, beating the local favourite and one of the greatest rising stars in chess, Jan-Krzysztof Duda. When it seemed that the local hero had solved all his opening problems, Magnus came up with a very interesting exchange sacrifice to steer the game towards a slightly better ending. Once again, Carlsen demonstrated his excellent endgame technique to turn “slightly better” into a clean and confident victory. Overall, the second day proved to be difficult for Duda – he started with a loss (to Ian Nepomniachtchi) in Round Six, then scored two victories, only to be defeated in the last round. Still, with 6.5 points, he enters the final day with solid chances for one of the top places. The big surprise of the tournament is the ‘young gun’ from Uzbekistan, 17-year-old Nodirbek Abdusattorov, who, after losing in Round Six to Anton Korobov, scored three consecutive wins against top-class players (Levon Aronian, Radoslaw Wojtaszek and Boris Gelfand) and with 7/9 points is in shared 2-4th place. He will be playing Magnus Carlsen on the top board at the start of the final day of the rapid championship. Nodirbek is joined by Alexander Grischuk and Ian Nepomniachtchi, who are also on 7/9 and have been confidently building up their momentum for the final rounds in the first two days. Following them is a score of nine players on 6.5 points, including heavyweights Hikaru Nakamura and Fabiano Caruana. The latter (who on day one suffered a devastating defeat at the hands of Abdusattorov) is lucky to be in this group as he managed to save a lost game in Round Seven against Andrei Volokitin thanks to an oversight by his opponent. Dutchman Jorden Van Foreest and Egyptian Amin Bassem also show great form in the World Rapid open tournament. With 6.5/9, they remain in striking distance for the top places. Among the young lions at the top is the 53-year-old veteran Boris Gelfand, who has 6/9. After the first eight rounds, Gelfand was in 8th place, just half a point behind Carlsen, but then in the final (ninth) round of day two, he suffered his first loss in the tournament at the hands of Abdusattorov. Among other top players, Levon Aronian has six points, while Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, Anish Giri, Sergey Karjakin, Shakhriyar Mamedyarov and Alexei Shirov are all on 5.5/9. The Women’s tournament The second day of the Women’s world rapid was marked by Alexandra Kosteniuk’s, sterllar perfrormance. The Women’s World Cup winner finished a point and a half ahead of everyone else. She is followed by six players on 6/8 (in the women’s section, eight rounds have been played so far – four on each day*). In Round Five, in a direct duel for first place, Kosteniuk scored a lucky victory against Valentina Gunina, with whom she shared the top after day one. Despite achieving an overwhelming position, Gunina made several mistakes and eventually lost. Kosteniuk won the next round game against Nataliya Buksa but then had to work hard to escape with a draw against one of the surprising stars of the event, Assel Serikbay. Alexandra finished the day confidently, defeating the former World Champion and one of the top contenders for the title, Mariya Muzychuk. “From 2012, I played in every single edition of the World Rapid & Blitz, and three times I took silver medals. So, of course, I’d like to jump higher”, Kosteniuk said in an interview on day two. She was, however, cautious about the interviewer praising her performance so far: “It’s important how you start but [it’s] more important how you finish”. The group of six players on 6/8 chasing Kosteniuk is led by Assel Serikbay of Kazakhstan. Starting the second day of the event with two victories, the 19-year-old GM