The candidate 2024 was exciting, amazing, and a bit controversial as well. Fide has compiled a new set of rules for qualifying for the Candidate 2024. The rules for qualifying for Fide Candidate 2024 are below
- 1 spot – FIDE World Championship Match 2023: Runner-up: This spot was filled by GM Ian Nepominatchi
- 3 spots – FIDE World Cup 2023: three players who finish 1st, 2nd, and 3rd: With Magnus winning the World Cup and clarifying that he won't participate for the candidate, this spot was filled by GM Pragnananda, GM Nizat Abasov, and GM Fabiano Caruana
- 2 spots – FIDE Grand Swiss Tournament 2023: two players who finish 1st and 2nd. : GM Vidit Gujrati and GM Hikaru Nakamura, grabbed the spot via this method
- 1 spot – FIDE Circuit 2023: GM Gukesh fixed his spot via this rule
- 1 spot – by rating: GM Alireza Firouza grabbed the candidate seat using this rule.
Controversies in Fide Candidate 2024
The numbers 4 and 5 were two options where players or maybe their managers found a loophole and exploited that to make their players reserve a seat in candidates. GM Alirez and GM D Gukesh, although two deserving candidates were lagging behind in the race from players like GM Anish Giri.
Towards the end of the deadline for closing all criteria, Gm Alireza played in many tournaments that were scheduled at the last moment to bump up his rating whereas a newly introduced tournament Chennai Open was organized for Gm Kush and Gm Arjun Erigiasi. Both of these strategies were organized taking advantage of a loophole that there were no rules on organizing last-minute tournaments. These tournaments attracted many comments and criticism from around the chess world, but nevertheless, they succeeded in placing their candidates in playing seats of Fide Candidate 2024.
Games of Candidate 2024
From the start GM Ian Nepomniatchi, took the lead and maintained it near of end of the tournament and GM D Gukesh followed him with a very short margin. Just before the last round, GM D Gukesh took the lead by half a point, and in the last round of the tournament he was at 8.5 and GM Ian Nepo, GM Caruana, and GM Hikaru were at 8 points each. A win among any of these would have won them a seat in the World Championship 2024 but none of them succeeded, GM Gukesh made a comfortable draw whereas GM Nepo and GM Caruana had a really wild game to settle into a draw at the end and GM D Gukesh came out victorious and Grabbed the seat at world Championship of 2024 as youngest Challenger.
It was nothing sort of Miracle that a wild card entry made it to the top and went on to become the youngest Candidate winner. Looking at the form of World Champion he is being considered as a favorite to win the world championship as well.
Leave a Comment: