World International Chess Federation (FIDE) suspended Candidates Tournament – a move it didn’t want to make!
FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich, stated, “Today, the government of the Russian Chess Federation announced that starting March 27, 2020, Russia interrupts air traffic with other countries without indicating any time frames.”
Arkady Dvorkovich
Dvorkovich continued, “FIDE cannot continue the tournament without guarantees for the players’ and officials’ safe and timely return home. In this situation…FIDE decided to stop the tournament. It will be continued later, with the exact dates to be announced as soon, as the global situation related to the COVID-19 pandemic will allow. As … stipulated by the special rules agreed with the players before the start of the event, the results of the 7 rounds played remain valid, and the tournament will be resumed in the same composition starting with the games of the 8th round…”
Standings at Suspension
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
Who Will Challenge
Magnus Carlsen
in
November 2020?
Only one of these eight top rated players in the world will challenge Magnus Carlsen for the 2020 World Chess Championship tentatively scheduled for November in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
The 2020 Candidates Tournament
The 14-round Candidates Tournament is being played in the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Yekaterinburg, Russia–an 8-player double round-robin that will decide who challenges Magnus Carlsen for the 2020 World Chess Championship match scheduled to take place in Dubai in November.
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
#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 2020.
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
2020 Candidates Tournament
Pairings
In the meantime…
Chess Champions Start Here!
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