World Chess Champion
Magnus Carlsen
Magnus Carlsen will defend his title in Dubai beginning November 24 and running through December 16, 2021.
The World Chess Championship match will consist of 14 Classical Chess games and a €2,000,000 Euro prize fund ($2,427,498.00 USD) with 60% going to the winner and 40% to the runner-up.
Magnus will play the winner of the 2020-2021 FIDE Candidates Tournament in Russia, which was postponed at the halfway point in March 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The second half of the Candidates Tournament is now rescheduled to take place during the last two weeks of April 2021 in Yekaterinburg, Russia.
Who Will Challenge
Magnus Carlsen
in
November-December 2021?
Only one of these eight top rated chess players in the world will earn the right to challenge Magnus Carlsen for the World Chess Championship match scheduled for November-December 2021 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
Candidates Tournament Suspended
Standings after Round 7
At the midpoint, Russia’s Ian Nepomniachtchi and France’s Maxime Vachier-Lagrave are tied for 1st place.
See Postponed Pairings below.
Russia’s Ian Nepomniachtchi
7 Rounds to Go
Tied for 1st Place
#5 Rated Chess Player in the World
France’s Maxime Vachier-Lagrave
7 Rounds to Go
Tied for 1st Place
#8 Rated Chess Player in the World
The 2020-21 Candidates Tournament
The 14-round Candidates Tournament started in the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Yekaterinburg, Russia–an 8-player double round-robin that will decide who challenges Magnus Carlsen for the World Championship match that’s set to take place in Dubai in November-December 2021.
Who’s Playing?
Candidates’ March 2020 World Chess Ratings
1. #2 Ranked – Fabiano Caruana, USA, rated 2842, 27 years old.
2. #3 Ranked – Ding Liren, China, rated 2805, 27 years old.
3. #4 Ranked – Alexander Grischuk, Russia, rated 2777, 36 years old.
4. #5 Ranked – Ian Nepomniachtchi, Russia, rated 2774, 29 years old.
5. #9 Ranked – Teimour Radjabov, Azerbaijani, rated 2765, 33 years old. ***
5. #8 Ranked – Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, France, rated 2767 – 29 years old.
6. #11 Ranked – Anish Giri, Netherlands, rated 2763, 25 years old.
7. #12 Ranked – Wang Ho, China, rated 2762, 30 years old.
8. #39 Ranked – Kirill Alekseenko, Russia, rated 2698, 22 years old.
*** Two weeks before the Candidates Tournament, Azerbaijani’s Teimour Radjabov withdrew from the Candidates Tournament, citing personal reasons.
The # 8 ranked chess player in the world, Maxime Vachier-Lagrave from France, is his replacement in Yekaterinburg.
USA’s Fabiano Caruana
Rated 2842
Born: July 30, 1992 (28 years old) in Miami, Florida, USA
#2 Rated Chess Player in the World
Fabiano challenged Magnus in the 2018 World Chess Championship in a 12-game match in London, and played to 12 draws in Classical Chess, only to lose the match in a Rapid Chess tiebreak playoff.
Fabiano must win the Candidates Tournament to challenge Magnus in the World Chess Championship match in November-December 2021.
Norway’s Magnus Carlsen
World Chess Champion
Rated 2862
Born: November 30, 1990 (age 29 years) in Tønsberg, Norway
#1 Rated Chess Player in the World
2021 Candidates Tournament
Pairings
Although the dates will be different in April 2021, the pairings below will remain the same for Rounds 8-14.
In the meantime…
Chess Champions Start Here!
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