World championship match in Astana

[LawrenceCooper]

https://twitter.com/chess24com/status/1 ... 8050618368

[Mick Norris]

The main sponsor of the match will be the same as for the recent World Rapid and Blitz Championships in Almaty. FIDE describes it as “NASDAQ-listed firm Freedom Holding Corp, a US-based corporation with Kazakh roots that provides financial services”.

That’s sure to prove controversial once again. 35-year-old Moscow-born billionaire Timur Turlov gave up his Russian citizenship and became a Kazakhstan citizen in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, recently also becoming the Head of the Kazakhstan Chess Federation. Turlov sold his Russian business, but still finds himself on the Ukrainian government’s sanctions list.

[Matt Mackenzie]

Kazakhstan is no surprise as a location given the two participants, however.

[Chris Rice]

Emil Sutovsky provided a bit more info on FB, though I didn't get the reference to covid, perhaps that bit was lost in translation:

"The World Championship match between the Nepo and Ding will take place in Astana from April 7 to May 1, 2023. The prize fund will amount to 2 million Euros.

The race to determine the venue of the match continued for several months. In early January, two official bids were laid before the FIDE Council - from Argentina and Kazakhstan. I had to make a difficult choice, having considered all factors.

And so the decision has been made. The new match will take place just 16 months after Carlsen's unforgettable Dubai duel. This is not related to the Norwegian's refusal to get corona - back in 2021 such a decision was made due to the postponement of the match in Dubai due to the pandemic.
I'm glad that I managed to secure a fight for the top title at short notice.

I thank Kazakhstan for the cooperation and Freedom Finance Holding - the general partner of FIDE in holding the Match. I am sure that despite the absence of Magnus, the duel for the chess crown will be a real event. FIDE will delight you with a rich program of events that will take place parallel to the Match, making it interesting for everyone. Welcome to Astana!"

[Mick Norris]

Kasparov doesn't seem to think it will be a "real event"

He called the 14-game match in Kazakhstan “kind of an amputated event”, explaining the difference to the situation in 1975 with, “Fischer stopped playing chess, Magnus has not!”

I can hardly call it a World Championship match. For me, the World Championship match should include the strongest player on the planet, and this match doesn’t. I’m not here to comment on Magnus’ decision, but it’s kind of an amputated event. I have my own history with FIDE, so that’s why I’m not going to change my view about the FIDE Championships. It’s a pity Magnus is not there and naturally the match between Nepo and Ding is a great show anyway, but it’s not a World Championship match.

[Matt Mackenzie]

I mean, it *is* a World Championship match whatever Gazza or anyone else says.

Of course the absence of Carlsen will tarnish it in the eyes of some.

[Paul Habershon]

I mean, it *is* a World Championship match whatever Gazza or anyone else says.

Of course the absence of Carlsen will tarnish it in the eyes of some.

You've got to be in it to win it and who's to say one of the finalists wouldn't beat Carlsen in a World Championship match? Nepo threatened to for a fair portion of the previous match. Ratings aren't everything. The winner will be a worthy champion. If you don't agree with that, the winner's name will go down in history anyway as a World Chess Champion in a way which is not true of Khalifman, Ponomariov et al.

[Geoff Chandler]

I've done my blog logo for the match. I'll head every game I cover with it.

[Kirk Gornall]

I am somewhat underwhelmed and apathetic at the prospect of this upcoming world championship match. No matter who wins it, we all know that they are not the best player in the world. I understand that Magnus chose not to defend his title, but part of me wonders whether FIDE could have worked with Magnus to find a solution where he would defend his title.

[NickFaulks]

I am somewhat underwhelmed and apathetic at the prospect of this upcoming world championship match. No matter who wins it, we all know that they are not the best player in the world.

Do you sometimes feel similarly about the World Cup final?

To avoid confusion, football not chess!

[Kirk Gornall]

I am somewhat underwhelmed and apathetic at the prospect of this upcoming world championship match. No matter who wins it, we all know that they are not the best player in the world.

Do you sometimes feel similarly about the World Cup final?

To avoid confusion, football not chess!

Well if Brazil or Argentina qualified for the World Cup finals, and then decided voluntarily not to participate in the World Cup finals, then maybe yes! It is what it is I suppose. I hope it is a high quality match between Nepo and Ding and we see some exciting games.

[Geoff Chandler]

...part of me wonders whether FIDE could have worked with Magnus to find a solution where he would defend his title.

Other than ask him to reconsider there was little else they could do.
He may be back. In his 2010 'I'm not playing in the candidates anymore' letter to FIDE https://en.chessbase.com/post/magnus-ca ... ship-cycle asking for qualifying to the final be change from the matches to a single 8-10 player world championship tournament adding that the current champion should not go straight into this tournament but qualify like everyone has to.
(I'm thinking he will get the rating spot for the next 10 years.)

FIDE changed the system, OK no more candidate matches, but I cannot see FIDE abolishing the W.C. final.

[Matt Mackenzie]

Moving to a three year cycle might be enough for him to think about challenging again in a few years time.

[Geoff Chandler]

Hi Matt,

I was recently reading about his prep v Nepo (the long strenuous months of preparation being cited as an excuse for resigning the title.) https://chess24.com/en/read/news/carlse ... i-or-ding as the writer says it was somewhat unusual - 3 weeks in sunny Spain and then off to watch the football.

Further down the same interview we discover he thinks Caruana or Ding Liren would pose a bigger challenge than Nepo. So from that I figure he is putting his money on Ding. I think that way too. It's in the stars. Ding got into the candidates because Karjakin was booted out for being stupid and now Ding is in the final because the current title holder has had enough. Maybe FIDE should ensure future W.C. matches do not clash with the football.

[Paul Cooksey]

I don't think the distinction between the world number 1 and the world champion is at all new. There was debate whether Kasparov was still legitimately world champion after he left the FIDE cycle in 1993, even when he was clearly world number 1 and still considered himself champion.

Kasparov's complaint the match is not long enough is relevant though. It is difficult to claim a short match is more reliable than the rating list in determining the number one player.

I am looking forward to Ding v Nepo. Good players, a clash of style and less incentive to play super solid than there was against Magnus in recent matches.

The person I blame for Magnus dropping out is Hikaru. One of the ways the world championship stayed legitimate was being the best way for the strongest player to make money. But no longer clearly the case.