One of the most discussed topics not only in the world of chess, but also in the sports environment in general, is the possible refusal of the world champion Magnus Carlsen from another title defense.
Almost two weeks have passed since Ian Nepomniachtchi won the Candidates Tournament for the second time in a row and got the right to fight for the crown, but there is still no certainty who will become his opponent.
The unofficial deadline that the International Chess Federation (FIDE) allegedly set for the Norwegian is July 20th.
The Russian athlete himself emphasizes that he has no more information on this matter than an ordinary fan.
Jan admitted that in December, when Carlsen first announced his intentions not to advance to the next championship match, it was more like an attempt to inflate his own worth.
“We know, for example, boxing stars, MMA.
In the style of these sports - to force yourself to persuade yourself to stay, to break through the best conditions for the next fights and so on.
But then Magnus clarified his position in a little more detail.
Maybe he is not satisfied with the format, although, in my opinion, if it is changed, then this should be done at the beginning of the cycle and everything should be reviewed comprehensively, ”the official website of the Russian Chess Federation quotes Nepomniachtchi as saying.
One of the options for the changes that the Norwegian puts forward is the division of the match into three sets, by analogy with tennis.
In each of them, it is supposed to play four games with classical time control, and in case of a draw, four more rapid games.
If they do not help to reveal the strongest, then the opponents will have to sort things out twice in blitz.
The match itself will last up to two victories in sets.
Nepomniachtchi stated that he did not consider it appropriate to mix different types of games and turn the match for the crown into a "pentathlon", despite the fact that this may look more attractive to the fans.
“If you measure everything by fun, then you should probably go to the Brazilian carnival, and not to classical chess.
On the other hand, this is their beauty: there is a certain tradition of world championship matches, which has, roughly speaking, 150 years.
It is clear that chess, like humanity, has known different times, but I probably would not want to turn them into a show,” the grandmaster emphasized.
Sergey Karjakin's manager Kirill Zangalis agreed with Nepomniachtchi.
He noted that the Russian chose the right phrase to describe the proposed format - the Brazilian carnival, that is, a mixture of different styles.
In his opinion, blitz and rapid are fundamentally different from the "classics".
“There are a lot of world champions in rapid chess and blitz.
This is an honorary title, but, for example, no one will remember now the Vietnamese player Le Quang Liem, who won one of these tournaments.
Sasha Grischuk, whom I love and respect, won the World Blitz Championship three times.
It's great, but it's a completely different sport.
Here are the classics in running - 100 and 200 meters.
Usain Bolt won at these distances, but he could not win the 400 meters, 1500 or marathon.
So it is in chess.
For a century and a half, there was the concept of a championship match in classical chess, for which a separate preparation is carried out, where the games can last for seven hours.
Maybe for a simple viewer this is tiring, but this is the prestige, ”Zangalis said in an interview with RT.
At the same time, he acknowledged that Carlsen, with his many years of leadership, earned the right to express his own opinion on the development of the sport, but this does not mean at all that FIDE should unquestioningly follow his requirements.
As the PR director of the Russian Chess Federation noted, in all popular sports there have always been outstanding personalities who were allowed a lot, but this is not always right.
“For example, Michael Jordan could dictate the terms of the contracts of other players in Chicago, Mike Tyson could demand prize money for just entering the ring.
Michael Schumacher, although he did not set the rules in Formula 1, had a certain weight.
Magnus Carlsen topped the world rankings in 2009 and has held the top spot for 13 years.
Of course, he is a value, and has the right to his opinion.
But for fundamental decisions there is FIDE.
In 1975, Bobby Fischer refused a world championship match, and, despite all his greatness, the crown was simply taken away from him and Anatoly Karpov became the champion.
And now you can’t follow Carlsen’s lead in any case, ”Zangalis emphasized.
He suggested that Carlsen's demands could lead to a split similar to what happened in 1993.
Then, we recall, world champion Garry Kasparov and challenger Nigel Short left FIDE and founded the Professional Chess Association (PCHA).
Both organizations played title matches in parallel, which led to confusion, and the reunion did not take place until 2006.
“Champions at that time were Alexander Khalifman, Ruslan Ponomarev, Rustam Kasymdzhanov, Veselin Topalov.
They seem to be remembered, but that title was not considered super.
That is, the split never led to anything good.
There should be uniform rules that come from the international federation, and not from the world champion, no matter how great he may be.
If he wants, like Fischer, to retire and do something of his own, this is his full right.
Then it is necessary to hold a match between Yang Nepomniachtchi and Ding Liren, and let Carlsen play poker, golf or something else that he likes, ”Zangalis emphasized.
At the same time, in his opinion, the Norwegian still values the title of world champion and will try to defend it again.
“He was very afraid of losing him, I remember this from the games against Sergey Karjakin, and also from how nervous he was in the match against Fabiano Caruana.
Now Magnus understands that Ian is very dangerous - he drew conclusions after the first match and fully armed will approach the second.
Therefore, I think Carlsen will find some kind of compromise with FIDE.
The Federation will not follow his lead, and he will not put forward any exorbitant conditions, ”the expert noted.
In turn, grandmaster Alexander Ryazantsev believes that it is a little strange to change the rules right in the course of the cycle.
In addition, in his opinion, FIDE should be involved in the discussion of the format of the upcoming championship match and Nepomniachtchi as a direct participant.
“It would be more logical to start this conversation after the championship match, when the new selection begins.
As for tie-breaks in the form of rapid and blitz, such a format is possible, and it can be interesting.
Yes, there is a question of how reasonable it is to decide the fate of the match according to the “classics” in this way, but in general it all depends on the opinion of the players who will have this meeting.
If Yang doesn't mind, then why not.
If any negotiations are underway now, then, I think, he should also take part in them, because the contract for the match is signed by both participants, so the opinions of both should be taken into account, ”the chess player emphasized.
However, he noted that he understands the current title holder, because he has to make his fifth defense in a row, and in such a situation, changes suggest themselves.
“Carlsen is looking for motivation.
Perhaps a change in the format will spur him on, make him take a different attitude to the match, ”Ryazantsev believes.
At the same time, according to the expert, the battle between Nepomniachtchi and Carlsen will turn out to be more exciting than against Liren, who will replace the Norwegian in case of refusal.
“If Jan and Magnus come together, in my opinion, it will be much more interesting.
It is interesting to see if the Russian uses his second attempt.
He won the Candidates tournament in brilliant style, and the previous battle for the crown gave him a lot of food for thought and match experience that he did not have before.
I'm sure it will be helpful.
If suddenly it happens that Carlsen still refuses, then he will face a completely different opponent, and we will see other chess.
But Ding Liren is also one of the best chess players in the world, and the match with him will also be interesting and difficult, ”concluded the interlocutor of RT.