The esteemed 2024 Candidates chess tournaments to identify two challengers for classical world champions Ding Liren and Ju Wenjun, will take place in Toronto simultaneously. China has both the male and female world champions. Liren defeated Russia’s Ian Nepomniachtchi to claim the title of the king of classical chess, while Wenjun beat her compatriot Lei Tingjie and cemented the title of the queen. On the FIDE calendar of events, the Candidates tournaments rank second in importance to the World Champion-ship. This week the column highlights the countdown for the open (men’s) tournament today.
Eight is the official number of participants for the open tournament and four have already qualified. They are:
1. Ian Nepomniachtchi, Russia, the latest challenger for the World Cup
2. Magnus Carlsen, Norway, the winner of the World Cup
3. Praggnanandhaa Rame-shbabu, India, runner-up in the World Cup
4. Fabiano Caruana, USA, third place in the World Cup
The 2023 Chess World Cup was played in Baku, Azerbaijan, in July-August. The top three finishers earned a place in the Candidates tournament. There were 206 participants, and, as you lost a game, you were eliminated from the tournament.
The loser of the World Championship match, in this case Nepomniachtchi, gains a place in the Candidates tournament. Four places are remaining to be filled for the Candidates. The top two players will be chosen from the elite Grand Swiss Tournament.
The front runners are: super-grandmasters Hikuru Nakamura, Anish Giri, Alireza Firouzja and Dommaraju Gukesh. One hundred and fourteen players have registered to participate. In the 2021 edition of the Grand Swiss, Firouzja won the tournament outright and Caruana tied for second with Grigoriy Oparin. Caruana won the tie-break battle and gained a place in the last Candidates.
The other two places will be given to the players with the highest score on the FIDE Circuit, and the player with the highest rating in the January 2024 world ranking, provided he has played at least four classical tournaments eligible to be part of the FIDE Circuit.
