Carlsen does not claim the Chess King
Carlsen beat prodigy Gukesh Dommaraju 1.5-0.5 after two standard games in the quarterfinals, to win a place in the semi-finals against host Nijat Abasov. In a post-match interview, Carlsen said he would not attend Candidates 2024, if FIDE did not change the format of that tournament.
Candidates 2024 will include eight players playing in a standard two-round round robin game, to choose a challenger to the reigning world champion Dinh Lap Nhan. Carlsen, after relinquishing the title of Chess King, is expected to become a challenger to Dinh, but he has no intention of participating in Candidates. The Norwegian player wanted a different format that reduced the standard chess time, and added lightning fast chess.
Carlsen not attending the Candidates will make this tournament and the world chess final lose its appeal, because he has been the number one player in the world for more than 12 years. The 33-year-old player is also a five-time world champion, but he is no longer interested in playing standard chess for a long time because of stress and boredom. Carlsen's decision may once again cause FIDE to consider changing the Candidates competition rules and the title match.
According to the FIDE rules, the World Cup will select three candidates for the Candidates. Carlsen made it to the semi-finals and if he doesn't make it to the tournament, the remaining three players in the semi-finals will enter the Candidates. That means Abasov will become the lowest ranked player in history to enter this tournament. The 28-year-old Azerbaijani player, who is ranked 97th in the world, is experiencing a dream World Cup when he defeats players like Anish Giri or Peter Svidler on the way to the semi-finals.
The other semi-final at the World Cup will be between Fabiano Caruana and either Indian players Erigaisi Arjun or Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu. The Indian internal match will have to go to a tie-break, taking place today, Thursday, August 17, Hanoi time. Whoever wins this match, that person will attend Candidates for the first time.
