For the first time in his long checkered chess career, Magnus Carslen left nothing else unturned and crowned himself the 2023 FIDE World Cup king.
The victory eluded him in 2021 and the Norwegian thus has won every chess trophy and title there is available.
Upset by Poland’s super GM Jan Krzystoff Duda two years ago, the former world champion artfully dodged the upset bullet by taming the dangerous young Indian prodigy Pragnanandhaa Rameshbabu 1.5 to 0.5 in the rapid tie-breaks of the long arduous finals.
The championship effort was worth US$110,000 for the world’s number one while the Indian superstar was gifted with US$80,000.
The feat qualified Carlsen to next year’s Candidates Matches but has declined to take his spot until some of his conditions are met by FIDE.
Pragg, as the recently turned 18-year old whiz is familiarly called, has received so many heartwarming congratulatory messages, including an effusive one from former world titleholder Vishy Anand, the first Asian and the first Indian pawnpusher to get into the world’s chess elite.
FIDE rules say the top three – Carlsen, Pragg and the US’ Fabiano Caruana – have qualified for the Candidates next April. But since Carlsen has declined, the fourth placer GM Nijat Abasov of Azerbaijian will succeed the former.
Several of the highly touted super GMs – including the world top ten – failed to qualify as they were “ambushed” by young but talented players.
Those who did not make it included Anish Giri (Netherlands), Maxime Vachier LaGrave (France), Teimour Radjabov and Shahkiyar Mamedyarov (both of Azerbaijian, the host country),Fil-Am Wesley So, Levon Aronian and Sam Shankland of the US.
There are still two more qualifying stages to the Candidates – the FIDE Grand Swiss and the FIDE Chess Circuit.
Eight slots but only seven remain as defeated world championship finalist Ian Nepomniatztchi has been pre-qualified.
So with three from the World Cup already chosen plus Nepo, just four more slots are available.
American Hikaru Nakamura, the world’s number three, Gukesh D. from india and Wesley, in this order, lead the race in the FIDE chess circuit but only two slots are available.
The final two spots for the 8-man roster of the Candidates Matches will be decided in the FIDE Grand Swiss tournament that is forthcoming.
Tomorrow, another huge competition that will assemble the planet’s best pawnpushers – the World Rapid Team Championships – unfold in Dusseldorf, Germany. (Email feedback to fredlumba@yahoo.com.) GOD BLESS THE PHILIPPINES!
