The Candidates Tournament is a chess tournament organised by FIDE for the sole aim of determining the challenger for the World Chess Championship. The winner of the Candidates automatically earns the right to fight for the World Chess Champion Crown against the reigning world champion.
The last Candidates Tournament was held in Yekaterinburg, Russia partly in 2020 and partly in 2021 due to the Coronavirus pandemic.
The 2022 Candidates Tournament will be an eight-player event where the winner qualifies for the World Chess Championship 2023.
Here’s the lineup:
- (Russia) Ian Nepomniachtchi
He’s the 2021 World Championship runner-up. Ian won the Candidates Match in 2021 which gave him the right to participate in the next Candidates Match.
- (Azerbaijan) Teimour Radjabov
Radjabov has quite a bit of interesting history here. The Azerbaijan GM qualified for the previous Candidates Tournament but withdrew on grounds of the danger associated with the raging Covid-19 pandemic.
The tournament went on as planned but eventually had to be postponed due to the same pandemic.
Radjabov’s decision was justified by this action and FIDE thought it wise to give Radjabov a direct entry into the 2022 Candidates as a suitable compensation.
- (Poland) Jan-Krzysztof Duda (winner)
- (Russia) Sergey Karjakin (runner-up)
Duda and Karjakin are the top two finishers at the Chess World Cup 2021.
- (France) Alireza Firouzja (winner)
- (United States) Fabiano Caruana (runner-up)
Being the two top finishers of the FIDE Grand Swiss Tournament 2021, Firouzja and Caruana, current world #2 and #3 respectively earned the right to participate in the Candidates 2022.
There are still two unfilled spaces and they would come from the top two finishers of the FIDE Grand Prix holding between February and April 2022
Location & Date
According to an official statement released by FIDE on their site, the 2022 candidates tournament which will determine the next challenger to face world champion, Magnus Carlsen will be held in Madrid, Spain.
The elite tournament will be held from June 16 – July 7, 2022. The exact location of the match is not yet known, but from what we know, the opening and closing ceremonies will be held in the Four Seasons luxury hotel located in Madrid.
Sponsors
Chess.com, the world’s most popular chess site, will be taking an important position as the organising sponsor of this high-level event.
Chess.com signed an agreement on Monday 27th December, 2021 with governing body FIDE and the Scheinberg family, patron of the event.
On Play-Offs
After due consultation with top players involved in the world championship cycle, play-offs have been introduced for the Candidates Tournament and Women Candidates Tournament just in case of a tie for first place. More details will follow in due time.
The Other Part Of The Press Release
“The Candidates tournament is one of the most exciting events in the chess calendar, and as such, it has massive followership. Its popularity has grown to the point that it is comparable to that of the World Championship Match. For FIDE, it is a great satisfaction to hold this important tournament in Spain, a country that loves chess,” said the FIDE President, Arkady Dvorkovich. “The partnership with Chess.com will also allow us to organise this event at the highest level, as was the case recently at the FIDE Chess.com Grand Swiss in Riga. Last but surely not least I’d like to thank the Scheinberg family, whose constant contribution to chess deserves real appreciation.”
“For the Spanish Chess Federation, it will be a great honor to cooperate with FIDE and Chess.com in making this event happen,” said Spanish Chess Federation President Javier Ochoa de Echagüen. “Chess has always been very popular in our country, and well respected as an educational tool, with hundreds of thousands of children engaged in chess activities in schools. Hosting a top sporting event like the Candidates brings media attention, and gives all these kids something to look up to.”
“I am very excited to be working with FIDE and the Scheinberg family on this event,” said Erik Allebest, CEO of Chess.com. “As a fan, I’m already looking forward to following this incredible tournament and can’t wait for the outcome. I am also happy for these amazing players to have the opportunity to play in such a wonderful city and what will surely be a great venue.”
The tournament is made possible by the generous patronage of the Scheinberg family, who have stated they are honored to once again contribute to a major chess event that is part of the world championship cycle. Chess.com will provide further support as a co-organizer and official broadcast partner, once again having exclusive footage from the playing hall on Twitch.
About FIDE:
Founded in 1924, the International Chess Federation (FIDE) is the governing body of the sport of chess, and it regulates all international chess competitions. Constituted as a non-governmental institution, it was recognized by the International Olympic Committee as a Global Sporting Organisation in 1999. Headquartered in Lausanne, it is one of the largest sports organizations, encompassing 195 countries as affiliate members, in the form of National Chess Federations.
join the conversation