Candidates tournament Yekaterinburg 2020/21

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At the 2020/2021 candidates tournament , the challenger to world chess champion Magnus Carlsen was determined at the 2021 world chess championship. The competition was played as a double-round tournament between eight players who had qualified in different ways. It was originally supposed to take place from March 16 to April 4, 2020 in the Russian city ​​of Yekaterinburg , but was interrupted on March 25 due to the COVID-19 pandemic after the first half of the season. The tournament continued on April 19, 2021. After the penultimate round on April 26th, Jan Nepomnjaschtschi was the winner ahead of time.

Attendees

Surname Association Elo rating
(March 2020) 		World Ranking
(March 2020) 		Qualification path
Fabiano Caruana United StatesUnited States United States 2842 2 Loser of the 2018 World Chess Championship
Ding Liren China People's RepublicPeople's Republic of China People's Republic of China 2805 3 Second in the 2019 World Chess Cup
Alexander Grishchuk RussiaRussia Russia 2777 4th 2019 FIDE Grand Prix winner
Jan Nepomnyashchi RussiaRussia Russia 2774 5 Second at the FIDE Grand Prix 2019
Maxime Vachier-Lagrave FranceFrance France 2767 8th Successor for Teymur Rəcəbov
Anish Giri NetherlandsNetherlands Netherlands 2763 11 best average rating from February 2019 to January 2020
Wang Hao China People's RepublicPeople's Republic of China People's Republic of China 2762 12th Winner of the FIDE Grand Swiss Tournament 2019
Kirill Alexejenko RussiaRussia Russia 2698 39 nominated by the organizer by wildcard

According to FIDE regulations, the organizer had the right to award a wild card to a player who had participated in at least two qualifying tournaments and was either the best non-qualified player in one of these tournaments or was among the ten players with the best average rating. Number is in the period from February 2019 to January 2020. The organizer of the Candidates Tournament, the Russian Chess Federation, decided early on that a Russian player should benefit from the wildcard. After Grishchuk and Nepomnyashchi had already qualified via the Grand Prix, Alexejenko was third in the Grand Swiss Tournament 2019 and was the last Russian to be considered for the wildcard. He was therefore entitled to participate as the 47th in the world rankings at the time.

With Russia imposing entry restrictions for Chinese citizens in response to the COVID-19 pandemic in China, it was initially unclear whether Ding Liren and Wang Hao would even be able to take part in the candidates' tournament. They eventually received a humanitarian visa from Russia on the condition that they arrive early and put themselves in a 14-day quarantine near Moscow as a prophylactic .

On February 14, 2020, the starting numbers for the participants were set. As in the previous candidate tournaments, it was again ensured that players from the same country met each other in the first games at the beginning of each half of the tournament. This affected the Chinese Wang Hao and Ding Liren on the one hand and the Russians Nepomnyashchi, Grishchuk and Alexejenko on the other. This regulation should prevent agreements on results as far as possible. Apart from that, the lot decided on the starting number.

On March 6, 2020, Teymur Rəcəbov , who qualified for the Candidates' tournament as the winner of the 2019 World Chess Cup, announced that he would not participate. He justified his decision by saying that, in his opinion, FIDE should have postponed the candidates' tournament due to the coronavirus. He was replaced by Maxime Vachier-Lagrave , who, as third in the FIDE Grand Prix, third in the World Cup and with a slightly lower rating than Giri, narrowly missed the regular qualification three times.

mode

A double-round tournament was played. The time to consider was 100 minutes for 40 moves, then 50 minutes for 20 moves and then 15 minutes for the rest of the game, plus 30 seconds per move from the start. Draw offers before move 40 were not permitted. In the event of a tie, the following tie-break rules apply:

  1. direct comparison
  2. Number of winning games
  3. Sonneborn-Berger rating
  4. Play-off match (only to determine the winner; for further placements, the lot should decide).

After seven rounds had been played, the tournament was suspended on March 26 in connection with the COVID-19 pandemic . FIDE justified this with the fact that from March 27th the air traffic from Russia to other countries will be suspended and the departure of the participants will then no longer be guaranteed. FIDE announced at the beginning of September that the candidates' tournament would continue on November 1, 2020, probably in Yekaterinburg, alternatively in Tbilisi . In mid-October, FIDE canceled the continuation and announced the resumption for spring 2021. On February 15, 2021, FIDE announced a resumption on April 19, 2021.

Single round results

1st round, March 17, 2020
Maxime Vachier-Lagrave Fabiano Caruana ½: ½
Ding Liren Wang Hao 0: 1
Anish Giri Jan Nepomnyashchi 0: 1
Alexander Grishchuk Kirill Alexejenko ½: ½
2nd round, March 18, 2020
Maxime Vachier-Lagrave (½) Ding Liren (0) 1-0
Wang Hao (1) Anish Giri (0) ½: ½
Fabiano Caruana (½) Kirill Alexejenko (½) 1-0
Jan Nepomnyashchi (1) Alexander Grishchuk (½) ½: ½
3rd round, March 19, 2020
Anish Giri (½) Maxime Vachier-Lagrave (1½) ½: ½
Ding Liren (0) Fabiano Caruana (1½) 1-0
Alexander Grishchuk (1) Wang Hao (1½) ½: ½
Kirill Alexejenko (½) Jan Nepomnyashchi (1½) ½: ½
4th round, March 21, 2020
Ding Liren (1) Anish Giri (1) ½: ½
Maxime Vachier-Lagrave (2) Alexander Grishchuk (1½) ½: ½
Wang Hao (2) Kirill Alexejenko (1) ½: ½
Fabiano Caruana (1½) Jan Nepomnyashchi (2) ½: ½
5th round, March 22, 2020
Kirill Alexejenko (1½) Maxime Vachier-Lagrave (2½) ½: ½
Alexander Grishchuk (2) Ding Liren (1½) ½: ½
Anish Giri (1½) Fabiano Caruana (2) ½: ½
Jan Nepomnyashchi (2½) Wang Hao (2½) 1-0
6th round, March 23, 2020
Jan Nepomnyashchi (3½) Ding Liren (2) 1-0
Alexander Grishchuk (2½) Fabiano Caruana (2½) ½: ½
Kirill Alexejenko (2) Anish Giri (2) 0: 1
Wang Hao (2½) Maxime Vachier-Lagrave (3) ½: ½
7th round, March 25, 2020
Maxime Vachier-Lagrave (3½) Jan Nepomnyashchi (4½) 1-0
Fabiano Caruana (3) Wang Hao (3) ½: ½
Ding Liren (2) Kirill Alexejenko (2) ½: ½
Anish Giri (3) Alexander Grishchuk (3) ½: ½
8th round, April 19, 2021
Fabiano Caruana (3½) Maxime Vachier-Lagrave (4½) 1-0
Wang Hao (3½) Ding Liren (2½) ½: ½
Jan Nepomnyashchi (4½) Anish Giri (3½) ½: ½
Kirill Alexejenko (2½) Alexander Grishchuk (3½) 1-0
9th round, April 20, 2021
Ding Liren (3) Maxime Vachier-Lagrave (4½) ½: ½
Anish Giri (4) Wang Hao (4) 1-0
Kirill Alexejenko (3½) Fabiano Caruana (4½) ½: ½
Alexander Grishchuk (3½) Jan Nepomnyashchi (5) ½: ½
10th round, April 21, 2021
Maxime Vachier-Lagrave (5) Anish Giri (5) ½: ½
Fabiano Caruana (5) Ding Liren (3½) ½: ½
Wang Hao (4) Alexander Grishchuk (4) ½: ½
Jan Nepomnyashchi (5½) Kirill Alexejenko (4) 1-0
11th round, April 23, 2021
Anish Giri (5½) Ding Liren (4) 1-0
Alexander Grishchuk (4½) Maxime Vachier-Lagrave (5½) 1-0
Kirill Alexejenko (4) Wang Hao (4½) ½: ½
Jan Nepomnyashchi (6½) Fabiano Caruana (5½) ½: ½
12th round, April 24, 2021
Maxime Vachier-Lagrave (5½) Kirill Alexejenko (4½) 1-0
Ding Liren (4) Alexander Grishchuk (5½) 1-0
Fabiano Caruana (6) Anish Giri (6½) 0: 1
Wang Hao (5) Jan Nepomnyashchi (7) 0: 1
13th round, April 26, 2021
Jan Nepomnyashchi (8) Maxime Vachier-Lagrave (6½) ½: ½
Wang Hao (5) Fabiano Caruana (6) 0: 1
Kirill Alexejenko (4½) Ding Liren (5) 0: 1
Alexander Grishchuk (5½) Anish Giri (7½) 1-0
14th round, April 27, 2021
Ding Liren (6) Jan Nepomnyashchi (8½) 1-0
Fabiano Caruana (7) Alexander Grishchuk (6½) ½: ½
Anish Giri (7½) Kirill Alexejenko (4½) 0: 1
Maxime Vachier-Lagrave (7) Wang Hao (5) 1-0

Final score

After 7 of 14 rounds, the tournament was interrupted due to the COVID-19 pandemic and postponed indefinitely. At this point in time, Maxime Vachier-Lagrave (with the better ranking) and Jan Nepomnjaschtschi, both with 4½, were leading the field. In accordance with the regulations of the World Chess Federation FIDE, which were accepted by all participants before the start of the tournament, the results obtained before the cancellation were retained when the tournament continued on April 19, 2021. After the penultimate lap, Nepomnyashchi was one point ahead of Giri. Since he had defeated this in a direct comparison with 1½: ½, he was determined ahead of time as the tournament winner.

place Surname Elo JN MVL AGi FC DL AGr KA WH Pt TB 1)
1 RussiaRussia Jan Nepomnyashchi 2774 - 0 ½ 1 ½ ½ ½ 1 0 ½ ½ ½ 1 1 1 8½
2 FranceFrance Maxime Vachier-Lagrave 2767 1 ½ - ½ ½ ½ 0 1 ½ ½ 0 ½ 1 ½ 1 8th
3 NetherlandsNetherlands Anish Giri 2763 0 ½ ½ ½ - ½ 1 ½ 1 ½ 0 1 0 ½ 1 7½ 1½
4th United StatesUnited States Fabiano Caruana 2842 ½ ½ ½ 1 ½ 0 - 0 ½ ½ ½ 1 ½ ½ 1 7½ ½
5 China People's RepublicPeople's Republic of China Ding Liren 2805 0 1 0 ½ ½ 0 1 ½ - ½ 1 ½ 1 0 ½ 7th 1½
6th RussiaRussia Alexander Grishchuk 2774 ½ ½ ½ 1 ½ 1 ½ ½ ½ 0 - ½ 0 ½ ½ 7th ½
7th RussiaRussia Kirill Alexejenko 2698 ½ 0 ½ 0 0 1 0 ½ ½ 0 ½ 1 - ½ ½ 5½
8th China People's RepublicPeople's Republic of China Wang Hao 2762 0 0 ½ 0 ½ 0 ½ 0 1 ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ - 5
1)Tie-Break: direct comparison of equals; the other tie-breaks were not used.

Of the total of 56 games played, 31 ended in a draw, White won 17 times and Black won 8 times. 16 of the 25 games decided were played in the second half of the season.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ André Schulz : World Chess Championship: Competition postponed to 2021 In: de.chessbase.com. June 30, 2020, accessed December 13, 2020.
  2. ↑ Conrad Schormann: Who plays in the candidates tournament? In: de.chessbase.com. October 1, 2019, accessed October 22, 2019.
  3. ↑ André Schulz : Pre- press conference for the candidates tournament In: de.chessbase.com. March 16, 2020, accessed March 21, 2020.
  4. ↑ FIDE report on the 2019 World Chess Cup , accessed on September 29, 2019.
  5. ↑ André Schulz: New start: The 2020-21 Candidates Tournament In: de.chessbase.com. April 13, 2021, accessed April 26, 2021.
  6. ↑ Jonathan Speelman : Who will win the Candidates Tournament? In: de.chessbase.com. April 19, 2021, accessed April 29, 2021.
  7. ↑ Zeit online / dpa: Nepomnjaschtschi wins candidate tournament for the World Chess Championship. April 26, 2021, accessed April 26, 2021 .
  8. ↑ Peter Doggers: Update: Travel Ban May Affect Travel Chinese Delegation on chess.com, accessed March 3, 2020.
  9. ↑ Candidates Tournament 2020: Full pairings announced on the homepage of the World Chess Federation FIDE, accessed on March 1, 2020.
  10. ↑ Peter Doggers: Radjabov Withdraws From Candidates, Vachier-Lagrave To Play Instead on chess.com, accessed March 6, 2020.
  11. ↑ Teimour Radjabov to be replaced by Maxime Vachier-Lagrave in the Candidates Tournament , fide.com, March 6, 2020.
  12. ↑ FIDE stops the Candidates Tournament , FIDE, March 26, 2020.
  13. ↑ Candidates tournament interrupted In: de.chessbase.com. March 26, 2020, accessed March 29, 2020.
  14. ↑ Quotes on the cancellation of the candidates tournament In: de.chessbase.com. March 27, 2020, accessed March 29, 2020.
  15. ↑ André Schulz: FIDE announces resumption of the candidates tournament In: de.chessbase.com. September 8, 2020, accessed September 29, 2020.
  16. ^ FIDE announces resumption of Candidates Tournament. In: FIDE. September 8, 2020, accessed September 8, 2020 .
  17. ↑ New date: Candidates tournament to continue in spring 2021 In: de.chessbase.com. October 17, 2020, accessed October 21, 2020.
  18. ^ The second leg of the Candidates Tournament is postponed to the spring of 2021. In: FIDE. October 16, 2020, accessed on October 17, 2020 .
  19. ↑ a b FIDE resumes the Candidates Tournament. FIDE , February 15, 2021, accessed April 28, 2021 .
  20. ↑ Eteri Kublaschwili: The demolition . Schach , issue 05/2020, pp. 54–55.
  21. ↑ Westfälische Nachrichten of April 27, 2021 and faz.net of April 28, 2021 , each viewed on April 30, 2021