The eight participants for the 2018 Candidates Chess Tournament have been decided. Six were chosen previously based on a number of transparent criteria, and last week the final two were selected from the Grand Prix at Palma de Mallorca, Spain.
The Grand Prix at Palma was a serious exercise in competitiveness for two participants: Teimour Radjabov of Azerbaijan, and Maxime Vachier-Lagrave of France. Both players were hoping to gain a berth in the notable 2018 Candidates Tournament scheduled for March in Berlin. Both players, however, failed in their quest to qualify.
Radjabov lost two games from which it was impossible to recover, and Lagrave lost one but still fell short with his accumulation of the desired Grand Prix points which were necessary for qualification. That allowed Shakhriyar Mamedyarov of Azerbaijan and Alexander Grischuk of Russia to qualify for the Candidates.