The Candidates Tournament

In the spring of 2018, I found myself in France, in the northern port city of Le Havre in Normandy, with a group of students. They were staying with host families so I had a great deal of free time, but as the emergency contact I couldn't travel much, and the Atlantic air at that time of year was sharper than I had expected. I was staying in a bed and breakfast on the steep hill overlooking the lower city, and each morning the hostess would leave a basket outside my door with breads and pastries and jams and cheeses and other delicious things. I hadn't been following chess, but one day I discovered that the candidates tournament was underway in Berlin. Sometimes I would spend the whole afternoon with that basket and a bottle of wine watching the live commentary. Whenever I think of the candidates tournament, I think about those afternoons, which have become warm and misty white like most nostalgic memories.

The world championship match and its candidates

The world championship match is by definition the premier chess event. When I think of chess history there comes to mind a timeline punctuated by the landmark battles that have been fought to determine the champion of the world. In the 139-year history of modern chess, from 1886 to the present, there have been only 16 undisputed world champions, who form what Kasparov likes to call "the world's smallest trade union."

I enjoy the head-to-head match format. There's something appealing to me about the focused preparation on a single opponent, which involves understanding the complete history of their development, and devising strategies to exploit both stylistic and psychological weaknesses.

Some of these psychological strategies have been mundane, such as Carlsen's simple assessment (confirmed beyond his wildest expectations) that Nepo would not handle setbacks well, or Bobby Fischer's grip-strength training with a dynamometer in order to intimidate Spassky when they shook hands before a game. At other times zany and bizarre, such as the 1978 match between Karpov and Korchnoi, when Karpov employed the parapsychologist Dr. Vladimir Zukhar to sit in the front row and stare at Korchnoi, while for his part the sunglassed Korchnoi employed orange-clad Ananda Marga gurus, who, it was later revealed, were out on bail for the attempted assassination of an Indian diplomat.

Of course the battle has long been larger than the two individual players. The history of the world championship, from Alekhine to Kramnik, with the sole exception of Bobby Fischer, was dominated by Russians, which in the Soviet era often included teams of grandmasters evaluating positions and sometimes conspiratorial match-fixing. This made Fischer's solitary enterprise even more remarkable.

In today's world preparation considers not only the opponent but their entire team. If someone knows that their opponent's seconds are all d4 players, for example, that would inform their own work, and if one of the seconds is a leading expert on a particular line, they would be sure to prepare it. Magnus Carlsen escalated the secrecy surrounding his championship teams, and that has become standard practice over the past decade.

It goes without saying that all of this preparation has been completely changed by computers. For months and months supercomputers are running day and night to evaluate new possibilities for gaining any tiny advantage to tip the balance of the game, or at least reach a position more suited to one player's style than their opponent's. For some this has diminished the game and reduced the appeal of the match format. Personally, as someone who loves deep research, I appreciate the amount of analytical work that goes into these matches, even if it often leads to silicon-style draws, and most of it never comes to light at all.

And yet even for someone like me, who doesn't mind draws and enjoys the heavily academic approach to chess, there is a strong case to be made that the candidates tournament is the most compelling event in the chess calendar. The population of chess history is not only world champions. The class of challengers is also an elite group, even in the popular imagination, so that players like David Bronstein and Victor Korchnoi are often ranked among the best players of all time. To win the candidates tournament guarantees you a healthy chunk of the world championship purse, a spot in the next tournament, and a secure place in history.

One of the advantages of the candidates tournament for fans is that there are eight legendary players and four games everyday. This is just about perfect if you enjoy hearing commentary on classical games, because there is enough time to delve deeply into a position, but several games to attend when the analysis runs dry. On the other hand, it's not like other tournaments, because the prize is a place in history, and a chance to join the smallest trade union in the world, so the players are willing to expend some of their greatest preparation and novelties. In a unique way it is a tournament of first-place and seven not-first-places.

A brief history of the candidates tournament

The world of chess, like the rest of the world, underwent drastic modernization after WWII, which in this case was catalyzed by the death of Alexander Alekhine in 1946, who was world champion from 1927-1935 and then again from 1937-1946, after regaining the title held briefly by Max Euwe. After Alekhine's death, FIDE, which had been formed in 1924, took a leading role in the world championship cycle. First they organized a tournament in 1948 to determine a new world champion which was won by Mikahil Botvinnik.

Then, in 1950, they took two actions which would change the chess world forever. They created the official titles of Grandmaster, International Master, and Woman Master, and they elected 27 living players to be the first official grandmasters. The word grandmaster was used in chess as early as 1838, and it is often claimed that Lasker, Capablanca, Alekhine, Tarrasch, and Marshall were granted an official title by the Russian Tsar Nicholas II during the 1914 St. Petersburg chess tournament, but Edward Winter has cast some doubt on that claim.

The other major action was the organization of the first candidates tournament to decide who would challenge Botvinnik. Previously world championship matches were arranged privately by the champion and challenger, who was often burdened with the task of raising a prize fund acceptable to the champion. From this point forward, however, FIDE would control the cycle, and a candidates tournament was played every three years, except in cases where a rematch clause existed.

This cycle was interrupted in the 1990s when the world championship title itself was disputed for over a decade. Finally, in 2013, a regular cycle of candidates tournaments resumed, this time every two years, and it ran until 2020, when the pandemic interrupted the tournament, which was played in two halves over a year apart, with Ian Nepomniachtchi earning the right to challenge Magnus in November 2021. Due to that aberration, this year's tournament will be played only six months after the world championship.

Meet the candidates

The 2022 Candidates Tournament will take place at the Palacio de Santoña in Madrid, Spain (see thumbnail) from June 16th to July 5th. It will be a double round-robin tournament with a time control of 100 minutes for 40 moves, followed by 50 minutes for 20 moves, and then 15 minutes for the rest of the game, with an increment of 30 seconds per move starting from the first move. After the opening ceremony on June 16th, the first game will be played on June 17th, and continue in a pattern of three days on and one day off. The prize fund will be at least €500,000. In an important change from previous years, a tie for first place will be broken in a rapid and blitz playoff, instead of retrospective tiebreaks based on tournament performances, which has been a source of controversy.

Ian Nepomniachtchi

DOB: 7/14/90 (31 years old)
Federation: Russia
FIDE Rating: 2773 (Peak 2792)
World Rank: #8 (Peak #4)
Qualification: World Championship runner-up

This will be Nepo's second appearance in the candidates after having won it on his first attempt. When that tournament was suspended at the halfway point due to pandemic-related travel issues, Nepo was tied for the lead, although MVL's victory over Nepo in the last round gave him the technical lead on tie-breaks. The tournament didn't resume for more than a year, which made it probably the longest single tournament in history.

This enormous gap gave players time to regroup and design new preparation based on their results, but it also put them out of practice, since OTB tournaments were cancelled for most of that time. Many people feel that Nepo would not have recovered well from his 7th round loss to MVL had the tournament not been suspended, but we can never know. In the end, Nepo managed to win the tournament convincingly, with a full round to spare, and his ability to come out on top in both halves of the tournament was an impressive statement.

Although I was rooting for Magnus in the world championship match, it was painful to watch Nepo's collapse in the second half. It's easy to forget how strong he was in the first half of the event. He had several chances to capitalize on advantageous positions. Even his first loss in the epic Game 6, despite some questionable moments, was not a disaster, but a masterful grinding win for Magnus.

Although he has slipped in the rankings, when we remember his performance in the first half of that match, he remains one of the strongest potential challengers. I don't consider myself a fan of Nepo, but I developed a new respect for him as I watched how he handled what must have been torturous post-game press conferences with dignity and professionalism. Nevertheless, I'm not really interested in seeing a rematch, at least not right away, and it's unclear whether Magnus would even accept it anyway, so I won't be rooting for him unless he begins to display something truly spectacular.

Jan-Krzysztof Duda

DOB: 4/26/98 (23 years old)
Federation: Poland
FIDE Rating: 2750 (Peak 2760)
World Rank: #15 (Peak #12)
Qualification: World Cup winner

Of the seven players who currently have a spot in the candidates, Duda is the second youngest and the lowest rated. This will be his first candidates tournament. In Wijk aan Zee earlier this year, he lost to Shak and Fabi, but he drew against Magnus and defeated Rapport. Although he has a losing record against Magnus, he has proved to be a nuisance. It was Duda who ended Magnus' 125-game unbeaten streak in 2020, he knocked Magnus out of the World Cup in order to earn a spot in this tournament, and just last week he made a comeback in the finals against Magnus in the Charity Cup and forced the match into tie-breaks before losing. I have less to say about Duda than most of the other candidates. I haven't followed his games eagerly, but he beat Magnus to earn a spot in the tournament, so I wouldn't rule him out.

Alireza Firouzja

DOB: 6/18/03 (18 years old)
Federation: France
FIDE Rating: 2804 (Peak 2804)
World Rank: #3 (Peak #2)
Qualification: FIDE Grand Swiss winner

The ascent of Alireza Firouzja is one of the most compelling stories in chess right now. In a three-month span last year, from September to November, he gained 50 rating points, shooting up from 2754 to 2804 at the age of 18 and going from #16 to the #2 player in the world. That sort of rating gain at the very top ranks is extremely difficult. It's hard to know whether this was just a fortuitous run or whether it represents a true surge in playing strength, which is certainly possible for a teenager.

As far as I can tell, he hasn't played a classical game in over four months, which makes him something of an unknown quantity. On the one hand, he might just be out of practice in a practical sense, and it might be the case that his extraordinary surge was brilliant but fleeting. On the other hand, we know that he possesses a rare talent, so it's possible that we're witnessing the blossoming of a young player who is about to push the boundaries of chess and pose a serious challenge to Magnus in the near future. He is still at an age when great leaps are almost to be expected.

Occasionally he has seemed callow—for example, during his meltdown at the 2019 World Blitz—but chess can be painful, and I'm very forgiving when I recall the awkward difficulties of transitioning to adulthood. For the most part in interviews I see someone who loves chess deeply, and I think he has the potential to forge new ground, so I'm ready to be a fan. I admire his refusal to endure the antisemitic policies of Iran, although I have no idea whether it comes from an enlightened humanism or just a calculation about his own career opportunities.

I think his lack of experience will be a challenge in this event. The candidates tournament is different than other elite tournaments. We'll see how well he functions with his team and how he handles the expectations that others have for him as well as the stress he must be putting on himself. But almost anything can happen in a single tournament, and the world champion himself has singled out Firouzja as the most interesting challenger for him, so I think we should take that seriously.

Fabiano Caruana

DOB: 7/30/92 (29 years old)
Federation: United States
FIDE Rating: 2781 (Peak 2844)
World Rank: #4 (Peak #2)
Qualification: FIDE Grand Swiss runner-up

This will be Caruana's fourth straight appearance in the candidates, which he won in 2018 when he went on to draw Magnus in the classical portion of the world championship match before losing in rapid tie-breaks. Although many people complained about all the draws, I was riveted by that match. First of all it was exciting to have an American challenger for the first time since Bobby Fischer (or Gata Kamsky if you count the disputed non-genetic matches), but it was also a masterclass of high-level chess by both players.

In an interview last year Magnus said that in Caruana he was facing "a completely equal opponent" and not "somebody who I should beat." Caruana is the #4 player in the world, but although he has only slipped a few spots in the rankings, since the pandemic began he has lost over 60 rating points, going from 2842 to 2781. On top of that he has parted ways with his long-time second Rustam Kasimdzhanov, who seemed to suggest that he was disappointed with Caruana's recent work.

All of this leaves me doubtful about his chances this year, but he's still one of the best players in history, and he could certainly have a strong performance in any tournament. On the plus side, I was extremely impressed by Caruana's live commentary during the last match, so that would be a consolation prize for fans if he doesn't qualify.

Hikaru Nakamura

DOB: 12/9/87 (34 years old)
Federation: United States
FIDE Rating: 2759 (Peak 2816)
World Rank: #11 (Peak #2)
Qualification: FIDE Grand Prix winner

This will be Nakamura's second appearance in the candidates tournament. He also qualified for the 2016 tournament by taking second place overall in the Grand Prix cycle, but went on to finish in 7th place after tie-break calculations. He is one of the more surprising names on the list, because he fell out of the rankings due to inactivity, and hinted that he was less interested in classical formats. Even very recently he said there was only a 50% chance that he would play in the candidates tournament if he qualified.

Although he is one of the oldest players in the field, his calculation speed, tactical awareness, and board vision are incredible. He was once #2 in the world, he is one of only 14 players to reach 2800, and he is tied for 10th highest rating of all time. His natural talent is phenomenal. Even though I admire and enjoy his chess, I have to admit that I haven't been much of a fan, partially because of the things you hear about his conduct, but also because I tend to be more interested in classical specialists.

Until the third leg of the Grand Prix, I was actually hoping he wouldn't qualify, not out of malice, but because he said plainly that he wasn't very interested, and I thought it would be better to have someone determined to fight. After it became clear that he didn't just have a chance run in the first leg, however, I changed my mind. Maybe his success outside of competitive chess with its financial independence has removed some stress, or perhaps taking some time off cleared his head, but whatever it is he is playing terrific chess, which is all I really want to see in a candidates tournament.

Richárd Rapport

DOB: 3/26/96 (26 years old)
Federation: Hungary
FIDE Rating: 2776 (Peak 2776)
World Rank: #6 (Peak #6)
Qualification: FIDE Grand Prix runner-up

Each time I watch Rapport play I become a bigger fan. I love his adventurous spirit, which was on display in his games against MVL in the semifinals of the second leg of the Grand Prix, and in his decision to avoid a repetition with Andreikin in the finals and undertake significant risk to play for a win. In his very first game against Magnus Carlsen, in 2017, he played the unorthodox Nimzo-Larsen Attack and beat the world champion in 33 moves. Right now he is at his peak rank and rating.

It surprised me to learn that he does all his work alone without the help of a second. I guess I assumed that everyone playing competitive chess for a living brought someone to tournaments, and that the people at the very top all had contracted seconds. In an interview after his victory in the second leg of the Grand Prix he said that he didn't plan to start working with anyone unless a special opportunity came along. I'm curious to see if a solo approach can work at the level of a candidates tournament.

Teimour Radjabov

DOB: 3/12/87 (35 years old)
Federation: Azerbaijan
FIDE Rating: 2753 (Peak 2793)
World Rank: #12 (Peak #4)
Qualification: FIDE nomination

I know less about Radjabov than anyone else in the tournament, despite that fact that he will be the oldest player there (assuming Aronian doesn't earn the ratings spot), and he is the only one whose experience extends back before the current candidates cycle took shape in 2012. His first experience in a candidates tournament was in 2004 when he was only 17 years old, when he was one of the quarterfinalists in a knockout tournament with 128 players. Including that experience in the FIDE cycle during the disputed era, this will be his fourth candidates tournament.

Radjabov earned a spot in the 2020 Candidates Tournament but decided to withdraw at the last minute over concerns about COVID, and he was replaced by MVL. In a controversial decision, one which has been criticized by the reigning world champion, FIDE decided in May 2021 to seed him directly into the 2022 Candidates Tournament to compensate him. I think it was a terrible decision.

The other seven players all chose to attend the tournament, no one contracted the virus, and it was suspended only because Russia implemented new travel restrictions. I remember how uncertain everything seemed then surrounding the pandemic, and I respect his decision, but I don't believe he was owed any compensation. But even if he was, I don't think the candidates tournament should be used for such purposes, but should be a collection of the strongest contenders for the world championship at that moment, and this tournament will take place close to three years after Radjabov earned his spot with a victory in the 2019 World Cup held between 9/9-10/4. But there is reason to hope that he will bring a fighting element into the competition, and, in any case, worse wildcards have been seeded into the tournament in the recent past.

Karjakin's spot

Sergei Karjakin

DOB: 1/12/90 (32 years old)
Federation: Russia
FIDE Rating: 2747 (Peak 2788)
World Rank: #17 (Peak #4)
Qualification: World Cup runner-up

Certainly the most controversial aspect of this cycle is FIDE's decision to revoke Sergei Karjakin's spot in the tournament. The Ethics and Disciplinary Commission was asked to consider public statements made by Karjakin in support of Russia's war of aggression in Ukraine. They determined that his tweets cause chess "to appear in an unjustifiable unfavorable light and in this way damage its reputation" and therefore found him guilty of breaching article 2.2.10 of its code of ethics. Although I don't think there is any reasonable justification for the war, I think there is some room for debate regarding this decision.

On one hand, we want to tolerate as much freedom of speech as possible, he didn't use a chess event as a soapbox, and his comments have nothing to do with chess. His tweets are filled with propaganda and misinformation, but I didn't see any celebration of human suffering, only unfounded claims about Ukrainian actions and misguided justifications for Russia's war. Twitter has banned many prominent people, including the last president of the United States, but it hasn't yet banned Karjakin for his statements.

On the other hand, as a world championship challenger, Karjakin is an elite member of the chess community, and has been a minor official in the Russian government, so he has the potential to shape public opinion to an extent greater than most grandmasters, and his statements, including accusations of Nazism, are completely outlandish and reckless. I can understand that other players would feel uncomfortable playing against him with the war still raging, as well as FIDE's desire to maintain a civil atmosphere at events.

Yet I'm not sure that we want FIDE in the business of deciding when citizens can voice support for their governments. I was strongly opposed to my own country's invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq, and even though I don't think they can be equated to this current war, they were denounced as illegal by many leading democratic states. The article in question is so vague that it could be applied to almost anything, and FIDE itself has been accused of bringing chess into disrepute, whereas some people would say that Karjakin has damaged only his own reputation. In the end, I can't say that I feel bad for Karjakin. He is entitled to his own opinion, but FIDE is entitled to create and enforce its own rules.

Although the decision is being appealed by Karjakin, it seems likely that he will be replaced by the highest rated player who hasn't otherwise qualified. This will probably be Ding Liren if he can play enough games over the next month, otherwise Levon Aronian and Wesley So are the next best contenders.

Ding Liren

DOB: 10/24/92 (29 years old)
Federation: China
FIDE Rating: 2810 (Peak 2816)
World Rank: #2 (Peak #2)

For many people, the absence of the world's number two player was a serious flaw with the cycle, and this new opportunity is a welcome development. Magnus called Ding "clearly the best player not in the candidates." This would be his third appearance; his best result was 4th place. It's not clear how much blame he deserves for missing opportunities to qualify earlier, but certainly some things were out of his hands, and time-zone issues have made it difficult for Ding to keep a high-profile during a time of online events. In order to meet the minimum-game requirement he is currently playing a flurry of rated games in China against much lower-rated players, but I think he would be the best addition to the tournament, so I hope his strategy works.

Levon Aronian

DOB: 10/6/82 (39 years old)
Federation: United States
FIDE Rating: 2779 (Peak 2830)
World Rank: #5 (Peak #2)

If he were to qualify, Aronian would be the oldest player in the field at 39 years old. His experience in the cycle goes back to 2005-2007 when the world championship was determined by a tournament, which was won by Anand, and in which Aronian finished in 7th place. He has played in every candidates tournament since 2011, with the exception of the last one in 2020-2021, for a total of five. It would be his first appearance as a member of the United States federation.

Wesley So

DOB: 10/9/93 (28 years old)
Federation: United States
FIDE Rating: 2773 (Peak 2822)
World Rank: #7 (Peak #2)

This would be So's second appearance in the candidates tournament. He played in the 2018 version in Berlin, where he finished in 7th place. He is the reigning US Champion and the current Fischer Random World Champion, after beating Magnus Carlsen in the finals in 2019 by a decisive score of 13.5 to 2.5. His chess can be incredibly beautiful, and he is capable of playing at the highest level, but it often seems like he lacks the competitive spirit which might be required to make it into a world championship, never mind win one.

Final thoughts on the coming months

Not very long ago I was worried that this candidates tournament would be disappointing. Now that it has taken shape, however, I think there are many compelling storylines. How will Nepo handle himself only six months after his meltdown in the World Championship match? Is Alireza ready to compete in such a demanding event? How will Fabi navigate the tournament with a new team and is he still the equal of Magnus? Can Rapport's solo approach really work in a realm of even deeper preparation? Will Hikaru still be playing fantastic classical chess in a couple months and does he want to prepare to win? Does Radjabov deserve his spot in the tournament? Is this going to be a breakout event for the 23 year old Duda? Will Karjakin win his appeal or will Ding get another chance to face Magnus? I'm excited to see these stories unfold in the coming months.