This week, some of the best chess players in the world will meet in the candidate tournament in Madrid, where the winner will meet the reigning world champion. But what “everyone” is talking about in the chess community now is whether Carlsen has the strength to compete in a new World Cup match. – This tournament has a dimension far beyond the ordinary, says news’s chess expert Torstein Bae. Because two World Cup tickets can be awarded in this year’s candidate tournament. If Magnus Carlsen actually chooses to withdraw from the World Cup, he will be the winner of the candidate tournament in Madrid and the one who ends up as number two, who will be the opponent in 2023. TV 2’s chess commentator Maud Rødsmoen believes that Carlsen’s talk of a World Cup exit creates a special mood among the chess players, as long as nothing is finally clarified. – It can create some strange situations towards the end of the tournament when someone is in second place, but does not know if it is good enough (for a World Cup ticket), she comments. French-Iranian Alireza Firouzja is described as an exciting and fearless player. Photo: Carina Johansen / NTB The next big one? But Norway’s world champion has repeatedly said that he most likely will not defend the world champion title, unless Alireza Firouzja wins the candidate tournament and thus becomes his opponent. – So what happens if it is not the talent who wins the candidate tournament? – It is a very good question, and I do not think any of us have the answer to that, Torstein Bae admits. So then the question is: What is it about this teenager that openly triggers Magnus Carlsen so much? – Firouzja is a very exciting player. We have been waiting for several years for him to be the next big one. He is a fearless player who believes in saying, even when he plays against Magnus, says Bae. Firouzja is also young, worldly and is constantly approaching Carlsen in the world rankings. He has already taken one record from the Norwegian, when he secured 2800 ranking points as the youngest nokosinne. He did so when he was 18 years and five months old. Rødsmoen tells that Firouzja has retired lately and has not played long chess tournaments. – He probably has intense preoccupations and probably does not want to show any of what he has trained on. It also means that we do not know much about what form he is in during the day, she says. Torstein Bae believes Chinese Ding Liren is the biggest favorite in the candidate tournament. Photo: THOMAS SAMSON / AFP – Demanding tournament But news’s expert does not believe the 18-year-old will win in Madrid. Here, the routine becomes decisive, he thinks. – It will be an incredible achievement if he handles the pressure and goes to the World Cup match, says Bae, who does not have Alireza Firouzja as favorite in the tournament, but Chinese Ding Liren. – It is very demanding to get through this candidate tournament. The needle guild is very narrow. That was as far as Magnus Carlsen managed in 2013, he points out. Check the fact box for Bae’s ratings of other players! news’s chess expert Torstein Bae evaluates participants in the candidate tournament – Hikaru Nakamura is an exciting opponent. If he meets Nakamura, it could be a big event, with his great position in gaming, he says. – If he meets Firouzja, it will be a match with some dimensions. But Firouzja is new and has not been to this tournament before, Bae objects. – Fabiano Caruana, he has already played a World Cup match against (in 2018), and it may not be so juicy to make up against him? – Chinese Ding Liren is the biggest favorite on paper. Ding Liren may not be that exciting, but he’s the toughest opponent. And if that is what he is looking for, it can be motivating, Torstein Bae points out. It is therefore not obvious that Carlsen will get his dream opponent in a World Cup match. Bae still does not believe that the Norwegian has rejected the World Cup completely. – But at the same time he has expressed that it is very tiring with the long-chess World Cup and the enormous preparations it requires, says Bae. But Bae also adds that the greatest champions in history, such as Garry Kasparov, won the World Cup six times. Nor has anyone ever given up the World Cup title in that way. – It may entice Magnus Carlsen further, but he must find the motivation himself, says Bae. – And he can come when it becomes clear who he will meet, he points out. news’s chess expert Torstein Bae. Photo: Erik Johansen / NTB Can lose status in the world until chess Rødsmoen points out, like Bae, that there may be more players than Firouzja who can motivate Carlsen to a new World Cup match. She still believes in Carlsen when he says that he is considering dropping the World Cup. – There has been so little doubt in recent matches that Magnus has been the best in the world. I think he thinks the World Long Chess Championship takes a lot of time to prove something everyone agrees on, namely that he is the best in the world. The format is too unexciting for him, she says. Torstein Bae nevertheless points out that Carlsen should think about the fact that his own status in the chess environment will not be the same if he relinquishes the World Cup title in long chess. Of course, one can have other titles, one can be world champion in lightning chess and fast chess and be number one in the rankings, but historically it is the world champion who is the big one. – If there is another who is world champion, then I think that Magnus will notice that he is no longer the decided king in the world of chess. Then he will have to compete for the brand with the new world champion, he says.
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Expert predicts special atmosphere in World Cup qualifiers – news Sport – Sports news, results and broadcast schedule
