Obviously, his crushing defeat in the final of the world championship, last December, did nothing to undermine the motivation of Ian Nepomniachtchi. The Russian grandmaster won the Candidates tournament for the second time on July 3. Implacable on the chessboard, he flew over the competition which had been taking place in Madrid since June 17. The specialized site ChessBase lists: “In 13 rounds, the contender for the title of world champion has collected five victories (including three with the blacks) and eight draws.”
This Monday, July 4, the eight candidates still have a game to play, but the scores have already delivered their verdict. A defeat of the Russian against Jan-Krzysztof Duda, a Polish grandmaster who has so far shone little in the tournament, would not change anything.
Impose your style
The dynamics of Nepo, part by part, emerged quickly. Nevertheless, a small leading group gave him a hard time, putting him in delicate positions: the Americans Fabiano Caruana (a human encyclopedia as to the theory of openings) and Hikaru Nakamura (capable of a great precision of calculation in critical situations), as well as the Chinese Ding Liren (who demonstrated his solidity after a feverish start).
Chess24, another specialized site, note: “The composure that Ian showed, as well as the way he got out of very bad passes, was extremely impressive; he also proved to be ruthless whenever a chance to win presented itself.”
That is to say that the master – who played under the colors of Fide and not of Russia due to sanctions following the war in Ukraine – managed to impose his style. Willingly aggressive, Nepo is used to playing with a hellish pace, even if it means opting for hasty decisions, enough to put time pressure on his opponents.
“How do I feel today? Traditional answer: I don’t know… In this tournament, I tried more to play chess than to play for victory [à tout prix]. It is important. Another important element, I haven’t played a single game in six hours. I was lucky not to have to play too long” (unlike many of his competitors), confided the great Russian master to the Fide press service, relayed by the Russian daily online Gazeta.ru.
Among the disappointments, on the other hand, the commentators expected more from Alireza Firouzja, a 19-year-old French prodigy of Iranian origin, who finished his first Candidates at the bottom of the table. Overall, however, the tournament delivered on its promise of turnarounds, masterstrokes, bluffs, and quirky moments like when Nakamura, the most geeky of grandmasters, instinctively looked for a mouse computer next to the chessboard.
Uncertain opponent
With a standing ovation in the Palacio de Santoña in Madrid, the expressive Ian Nepomniachtchi was crowned challenger for the most prestigious title in chess. But his opponent, in theory the reigning Norwegian champion, is not certain to take up the gauntlet. Magnus Carlsen spoke last December about his desire to face a player of the new generation, like Firoujza, rather than an opponent like Nepo or “Fabi” whom he knows too well. All against a background of lassitude for a format (a grueling succession of a dozen, even fifteen parts) which hardly suits him.
However The country reveals that the Norwegian champion spoke, behind closed doors, at the Madrid palace, with the president of Fide, Arkadi Dvorkovitch. He would accept to defend his title, in April 2023, if the organization modified said format – without it being known to what extent.
“All the sources consulted by ‘El País’ asked to remain anonymous and indicated that if Carlsen was determined to give up his crown, he would have said so clearly. The fact that he spoke for so long with Dvorkovich without resulting in a statement means, according to these sources, that common ground can reasonably be expected.
Towards a more contested confrontation?
In another article, ChessBase quotes the words of Garry Kasparov, interviewed by the prestigious chess club of Saint Louis (in Missouri). The ex-world champion believes that, of course, Carlsen would remain the favorite, but a confrontation, if necessary, would not be without suspense:
“His second Candidates Tournament victory, all the more so displaying the style we saw in Madrid, undoubtedly makes Nepo a formidable opponent for Magnus, whatever the latter may think. If Magnus is playing, and I doubt it will be otherwise, we’ll probably see a tough game.”
On the other hand, if the Norwegian grandmaster finally threw in the towel, the supreme title would be disputed between the 1is and the 2e in the ranking of the candidates, that is to say Nepomniachtchi against either Nakamura or Ding who are facing each other in this last round. Thanks to a half-point lead, a draw would be enough to qualify the American.