When the first moves are made in Astana on April 9, Magnus Carlsen won’t be there. The world’s best chess player will instead be commentating on the performances of his possible successorsas world champion, Ian Nepomniachtchi and Ding Liren.
Carlsen’s decision to opt out of the tournament put the chess world in a difficult spot: The Norwegian has dominated the sport in recent years and has played a huge role in the increasing popularity of chess.
Ding Liren sees it the same way.
“Chess has lost some of its shine,” the Chinese finalist told German weekly paper“Die Zeit” in January. Liren doesn’t like being famous, but as the world No. 3 he is far from unknown in the chess world. The former law student, who has been playing at the top level for a decade, is a strong positional player who is rarely in danger of losing a match.
The same cannot be said for his opponent in Astana. Russian Ian Nepomniachtchi is known as a quick player who is always capable of springing a surprise. Sometimes “Nepo”, as he is popularly known, makes brilliant attacking moves, sometimes he makes hair-raising mistakes. Two years ago in his match against Carlsen, Nepomniachtchi started well but then lost his way, suffered three defeats and then had no chance against the Norwegian.
Grandmaster and long-time Magnus Carlsen coach Peter Heine Nielsen sees Nepomniachtchi as the slight favorite.
“Chess-wise I slightly prefer Ding, but in terms of resources, to an extent “home-field” advantage in Kazakhstan, Nepomniachtchi has an edge. Ding will have to show tremendous personal stability to manage, but if he does, then he has a chance.”
Championship under the clouds of war
In Astana, it’s not just about who will make the best moves on the chess board. The championship final is overshadowed by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. As a result of sanctions against Russia, Nepomniachtchi is competing under a neutral flag.
The 32-year-old signed an open letter from Russian chess players opposing the war last year, but if Nepomniachtchi was to be crowned champion, his victory is likely to be celebrated by propaganda in chess-loving Russia.
Furthermore, the World Chess Federation (FIDE),which is led by Russian politician and economist Arkady Dvorkovich and traditionally has close ties to the Kremlin, is having a particularly hard time marketing the world championship around the world — and this despite chess’ increased global popularity.
The championship match, which has €2 million ($2.18 million) in prize money up for grabs, is now sponsored by the billionaire financial entrepreneur Timur Turlov, who is on Ukraine’s sanctions list. Turlov was a Russian citizen until late 2022, and now holds a Kazakh passport.
Peter Heine Nielsen, who is known as a critic of the current FIDE leadership, is disappointed with chess officials: “I think it is wrong. As I said, chess is booming, it should be possible to find non-sanctioned sponsors.”
FIDE has yet to respond to DW’s request for comment. (As of April 4,2023)
This article was translated from German.
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