At the World Chess Championship 2023 in Astana, Kazakhstan, a new champion will be played from April 7th. The current world champion, Magnus Carlsen, announced in advance that he would not be taking part in the World Cup. Now Ian Nepomniachtchi and Ding Liren will play it out for the title.
When and where will the 2023 World Chess Championship take place?
The 2023 World Chess Championship will take place from April 7th to May 1st in Astana, Kazakhstan. If there is no winner after 14 games, the world championship will be decided in a tie-break, which would be played on April 30th.
If the winner is determined after less than 14 games, the World Championship ends on the day or one day after the decisive victory. Magnus Carlsen, for example, won the 2021 World Championship with a win in the eleventh game because, no matter what the outcome of the remaining three games, his opponent could no longer catch him.
Who is in the final of the 2023 World Chess Championship?
In the final are the Russians Ian Nepomniachtchi and the Chinese Ding Liren across from. Nepomniachtchi lost the 2021 World Cup to Magnus Carlsen, Liren’s first appearance in a World Cup final. He could become the first Chinese world chess champion.
The 32-year-old Nepomniachtchi will not compete under the Russian flag. In March 2022, he and 43 other chess players expressed their solidarity with the people of Ukraine in an open letter against Putin and the Russian war of aggression.
In recent months, Nepomniachtchi (currently number two in the world rankings, ELO level 2795) has been very stable in tournaments and has not shown many weaknesses on the board. Since his World Cup defeat against Carlsen in 2021, “Nepo” has visibly worked on his consistency. He shows a very versatile, dynamic style on the board and is able to adapt to many different openings and styles.
Ding Liren was not originally included in the entry list for the 2022 Candidates Tournament in Madrid. The 30-year-old became the highest-ranked player in the world after Sergei Karjakin, who had hailed Russia’s war against Ukraine on social media and was banned for six months by the world chess federation FIDE.
Why won’t Magnus Carlsen compete in the 2023 World Chess Championship?
Norwegian and current title holder Magnus Carlsen explained his motivations in a podcast by a bookmaker: “I’ve spoken to my team, I’ve spoken to FIDE, I’ve also spoken to Ian (Nepomniachtchi). The conclusion is simple: I’m just not motivated enough to play another World Championship. I don’t have much to win . And while I’m sure a match would be interesting for historical reasons, I don’t feel like it and won’t be playing.”
How is the world chess champion determined?
The World Chess Championship is usually played between the current World Champion and the winner of the Candidates Tournament. This year, however, World Champion Magnus Carlsen will not be taking part, leaving Candidates Tournament winner Ian Nepomniachtchi and runner-up Ding Liren to vie for the title. The Candidates Tournament took place in Madrid in the summer of 2022 and the players qualified by performing well in other tournaments or by being placed in the world rankings
Before the start of the first World Championship game, a draw is made to determine who will lead the white pieces in the first and all subsequent odd-numbered games. A win earns 1 point, a tie 0.5 points for each player. The player who reaches 7.5 points first wins the world championship.
If there is a tie after 14 games, a rapid tie-break is played, consisting of four rapid games with a time limit of 25 minutes and a time credit of 10 seconds per move. If no decision has been made, another tiebreak of two blitz games will be played with a time control of 5 minutes and 3 seconds time credit per move. If the score is then still a tie, an Armageddon game (White has more time but must win the game) is played to determine the winner.
How many world chess champions have there been?
The world chess champion has been officially determined since 1886. In a total of 49 tournaments, 20 different chess players were able to celebrate the world championship title.
Who is the record world champion?
Emanuel Lasker, Anatoly Karpov and Garry Kasparov each celebrated six wins. Magnus Carlsen is currently at five.
What is the thinking time at the World Cup?
- At the 2023 World Chess Championship, the two players will have 120 minutes to think about the first 40 moves
- 60 minutes for the following 20 moves and
- 15 minutes for the rest of the game with a time credit of 30 seconds per move from move number 61
How much is the prize money at the 2023 World Chess Championship?
The FIDE Association has set two million euros as prize money. The world champion receives 1.2 million euros, the loser 800,000 euros. Should the world champion be decided in the tie-break, the winner will receive 1.1 million euros and the loser 900,000 euros.
How to follow World Chess Championship 2023?
Several websites, such as fideworldchampionship.com and chess.com, will broadcast the 2023 World Chess Championship. It will also be streamed on several YouTube and Twitch channels.