Misplaced Pages

#763236

83-616: On 25 September 2014, a chess museum opened in the Russian Chess Federation's mansion. In the 2021 World Chess Championship match between Magnus Carlsen and Ian Nepomniachtchi , Nepomniachtchi competed under the Chess Federation of Russia flag. Nepomniachtchi is Russian, but the Court of Arbitration for Sport upheld a ban on Russia competing at World Championships, and it is implemented by WADA in response to

166-487: A "panicky" move, and indeed this gave up most of his advantage. White had an opportunity to push for more, but an inaccuracy by Carlsen allowed Nepomniachtchi to force a theoretically drawn position. After a forced queen exchange, Carlsen played on for 15 moves, but the result was never in doubt. Game 3 was a 41-move draw. Like Game 1, the players played the Ruy Lopez . Nepomniachtchi deviated first with 8.a4, but Carlsen

249-719: A World Chess Championship. Following this loss, Nepomniachtchi's level of play worsened, with Carlsen capitalizing on a series of one-move blunders by Nepomniachtchi in Games 8, 9 and 11 to win another three points. This gave Carlsen a convincing match win with four wins, seven draws and no losses. The challenger was Ian Nepomniachtchi , who qualified by winning the Candidates Tournament 2020–21 , an eight-player double-round robin tournament in Yekaterinburg , Russia . Originally scheduled for 15 March to 5 April 2020,

332-818: A bid in March 2019, but withdrew it in June 2019 after Carlsen expressed reluctance to play the match in Norway. In November 2019, FIDE president Arkady Dvorkovich announced that FIDE had received bids from Dubai and Argentina . In February 2020, he announced the match would most likely take place in Dubai . In January 2021, FIDE announced that the match would take place in Dubai from 24 November to 16 December 2021, as part of Expo 2020 . Due to WADA sanctions against Russia, FIDE confirmed that Nepomniachtchi would not compete under

415-488: A blunder. Nevertheless, even with best defense the position was likely already lost by this point. The rooks and bishops were quickly exchanged, and further consolidation resulted in a queen-and-pawn endgame with Carlsen up two pawns. Such endgames are often difficult to win due to the threat of perpetual check . Nepomniachtchi made a last-ditch effort to create perpetual checks, but Carlsen calmly spent his available time to ensure this could not occur. Nepomniachtchi gave up

498-463: A draw after White's 54th move, leaving Kramnik with a 3–1 lead. Topalov pressed hard, sacrificing a pawn. He achieved an advantageous endgame but despite five hours of play he failed to convert it (48.Qxc4! gave good chances, according to Sergei Shipov on chesspro.ru). Kramnik was due to play the white pieces. The game ended with Topalov winning by forfeit, after Kramnik refused to play and his clock had been allowed to run for one hour. Kramnik's lead

581-412: A draw by threefold repetition . Commentators GM Sam Shankland and GM Fabiano Caruana felt that Nepomniachtchi was the moral victor of the game, having successfully reached a clean draw even when faced with a new idea. Game 5 was a 43-move draw. Similar to games 1 and 3, Nepomniachtchi opened with e4 following the Ruy Lopez opening. The endgame resulted in a draw by threefold repetition . Game 6

664-413: A draw by perpetual check. This left the score tied 6–6 at the end of regular time-control play (Kramnik 6 – Topalov 5 in played games, plus the game 5 forfeit in favor of Topalov). Tie-breaker games were now played to determine the outcome of the match. In the middlegame of this first game in the rapid tie-break Topalov made a pawn offer, which Kramnik accepted. Kramnik then exploited some tactics to return

747-499: A draw. In the press conference after the game, Carlsen said: "Obviously I'm elated to get this result. It was never easy. Frankly it shouldn't be. There was a lot of the same emotions as the game that I won against Karjakin (in Game 10 of the 2016 World Championship ), which was a marathon there as well. Obviously this is huge." The game was widely praised within the global chess community. Former world champion Garry Kasparov praised

830-420: A draw. If, after 12 games, the score was tied at 6 points each, then a tie-break would be held. As it turned out, the first round of tie-breaks (rapid games) was indeed required, and was held on October 13, 2006. From the match conditions: The primary time control for each game shall be: 40 moves in the first 120 minutes, and if that is met, then a secondary time control of 20 moves in 60 minutes, and if that

913-507: A free point for the unplayed game, I will not recognize Mr. Topalov as World Champion under these conditions, and I will take legal action against FIDE at the end of the World Championship." Since Kramnik won the match, this situation did not happen. On October 4, Topalov's manager, Silvio Danailov, issued a press release that identified what it labeled "coincidence statistics" showing the percentage of times that Kramnik played

SECTION 10

#1732783725764

996-621: A match began soon after Topalov won in San Luis, but broke down after the two camps were unable to overcome substantial differences of opinion. However, in April 2006, FIDE announced that Kramnik would play current FIDE Champion Veselin Topalov in a world championship match to unify the "Classical" champion line with the FIDE championship. The prize fund of $ 1 million would be evenly divided between

1079-404: A middlegame position where his two knights were outmatched by Topalov's powerful bishops. Topalov steadily improved his position, seizing space and launching an attack on the king-side. A strong tactical blow by Topalov on move 38 won the game for him. Kramnik, who had struggled with a steadily deteriorating position in time trouble , resigned following Topalov's 39th move. Topalov took the lead for

1162-422: A move that would be recommended by Chessbase's Fritz 9 chess playing software in that position (about 78% on average). GM Susan Polgar , who did not believe Kramnik was using computer assistance, characterized this as "another black eye for Danailov and chess. Even if he believes that it is true, he should complain to the committee and not through a press release. This is unprofessional and unacceptable." At

1245-447: A pawn for open lines. Nepomniachtchi agreed that this idea was promising when it was pointed out to him during the press conference. As the game continued, Carlsen missed White's 24.Qe1 when playing 21...Qb4, which allowed White to win the b7-pawn, but Black had sufficient compensation. One move after capturing the b7-pawn, however, Nepomniachtchi blundered a bishop with 27.c5??, leaving the bishop trapped after 27...c6. Nepomniachtchi found

1328-409: A pawn on f3, a powerful positional trump that was however hard to defend. The pawn wedged White's f2-pawn and kept White on the defensive, sufficiently so that Topalov refused a repetition on move 42. Topalov was within sight of winning the game when Kramnik played the excellent 56. d5!, going for counterplay at an opportune time. Topalov failed to react correctly and with 57...f5? missed a last chance at

1411-574: A perpetual, after which Kramnik reached a winning endgame with two extra pawns. Kramnik won the second game of the match after 63 moves, taking a 2–0 lead. Topalov missed winning continuations at move 32 and 36. Some inaccuracies later in the game cost him the draw. The third game ended in a draw after 38 moves keeping Kramnik in a 2½–½ lead. Kramnik (white) had the advantage for much of the game. According to commentators he at least twice avoided moves with more winning chances but which also carried more risk: 17. Ne4 and 32. exd5. The fourth game ended in

1494-454: A public statement insisting that the original match conditions be adhered to – defending Kramnik's actions by saying, "The restroom is small and Mr. Kramnik likes to walk and therefore uses the space of the bathroom as well... It should also be mentioned that Mr. Kramnik has to drink a lot of water during the games." Otherwise, "Mr. Kramnik will stop playing this match as long as FIDE is not ready to respect Mr. Kramnik's rights, in this case to use

1577-487: A slight material advantage to Carlsen in exchange for Nepomniachtchi later obtaining a passed a-pawn. Both Carlsen and Nepomniachtchi missed chances during a time scramble just before the first time control at move 40, where the position was considered equal. With 52...Qe4, which Anish Giri believed was a mistake and Nepomniachtchi called "unnecessary" in the post-game press conference, Nepomniachtchi gave up his passed a-pawn for Carlsen's h-pawn, leading to an endgame which

1660-497: A third pawn on move 44 and resigned on move 46. Game 9 was a 39-move win for Carlsen. Nepomniachtchi played the English opening, a good psychological choice because there are few forcing lines for Black. He managed to get a complicated position out of the opening, which was also a success because such positions often provide greater opportunities for a win. On move 15, Nepomniachtchi missed the idea 15.b4, which temporarily sacrifices

1743-430: A win in game 10. The remaining games were drawn, sending the match to a tiebreak. After a draw in the first game and a win apiece in the second and third games, Kramnik won the fourth game after Topalov blundered, to win the tiebreak and the match, becoming the 14th undisputed World Chess Champion. After Garry Kasparov split from FIDE in 1993, there were two world chess champions. There was the 'Classical' world champion,

SECTION 20

#1732783725764

1826-438: Is 12:30 UTC . Colours were drawn at the opening ceremony, and Nepomniachtchi received the white pieces for the first game. Colours alternated thereafter, with no switching at the halfway point as in previous matches. The final three games were scheduled for 11, 12, and 14 December and tiebreaks were scheduled for 15 December; however, these were not required because Carlsen reached 7½ points after Game 11. Consequently,

1909-495: Is also met, then the rest of the game shall be played out in 15 minutes, with an additional 30 seconds per move starting from move 61. Colors were determined for the classical games by the drawing of lots at the opening ceremony on 21 September 2006. The colors reversed between games 6 and 7. The colors for the first tie-break game were decided by drawing lots again. All classical games, and the first tie-break game, began at 3:00 p.m. local time, which corresponds to 1100 UTC . This

1992-527: Is the only world chess championship match where the same first move (1.d4) was played in every game. Only two openings, the Slav Defense and the Catalan , were played. Kramnik won the first round of this match in a 75-move game that lasted six and a half hours. Out of a Catalan opening, Kramnik failed to get any advantage. In the middlegame Topalov played 26...Bf3!?, a move which allowed him to establish

2075-639: The COVID-19 pandemic . As a result, this is the first sporting event to be held at an international exposition since the 1904 Summer Olympics during the Louisiana Purchase Exposition in St. Louis , United States . The match began with five consecutive high-quality draws, before Carlsen won a closely-contested eight-hour struggle in Game 6 that, with 136 moves, was the longest ever game in

2158-672: The Chess Federation of Russia (CFR) flag. Before the first game, WADA sanctions barred FIDE from using an initial flag with the full name "Chess Federation of Russia", so FIDE officials deployed a flag with the initials "CFR". Nepomniachtchi was helped by seconds Sergey Yanovsky, Vladimir Potkin , Peter Leko and Sergey Karjakin . Carlsen's seconds were revealed after the match as Peter Heine Nielsen , Laurent Fressinet , Jan Gustafsson , Jorden van Foreest , and Daniil Dubov . Carlsen confirmed that Nils Grandelius , who helped in previous World Championship preparation,

2241-481: The Petroff Defense , indicating that he was happy with a draw despite the match situation. The queens were quickly exchanged and a symmetrical position with no weaknesses on both sides appeared on the board, leading to a draw. Shankland described the game as a "snoozefest" and suggested that were draw offers permitted before move 40, the players might well have called the game off as early as move 11. Game 11

2324-561: The state-sponsored doping program of Russian athletes. In 23 February 2023, with the approval from FIDE, Chess Federation of Russia has switched its regional affiliation from European Chess Union to Asian Chess Federation . This chess organization article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . This article related to sport in Russia is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . World Chess Championship 2021 The World Chess Championship 2021

2407-456: The COVID-19 pandemic, and this rule was used to select Maxime Vachier-Lagrave as his replacement. Radjabov was given a direct entry into the next Candidates Tournament . Note: Numbers in the crosstable in a white background indicate the result playing the respective opponent with the white pieces (black pieces if on a black background). The organization rights belong to World Chess,

2490-558: The Petrov Defense, Carlsen varying from game 4 with the less common Steinitz Variation (3.d4). Carlsen's 7.Nd2 is an obscure sideline, but it was after 9.0-0, in a position apparently beyond his preparation, that Nepomniachtchi took his first think before playing the surprising novelty 9...h5 !? . In response, Carlsen took an even longer think before playing 10.Qe1+?!, a safe move, rejecting sharper (and perhaps stronger) alternatives by offering to trade queens. Carlsen commented after

2573-457: The Russian flag, but would play as a neutral player. The sanctions apply only to the world championship match, not to other FIDE events such as the Candidates Tournament . The Court of Arbitration for Sport upheld a ban on Russia competing at World Championships, and it is implemented by WADA in response to the state-sponsored doping program of Russian athletes. Nepomniachtchi played under

Chess Federation of Russia - Misplaced Pages Continue

2656-424: The Russian team. In previous world championships, the players followed a simple two days on, one day off schedule. For this match, FIDE changed the format to a weekly cycle: 3 games Friday-Sunday, rest Monday, two games Tuesday-Wednesday, rest Thursday. Days with games are shaded. The tighter schedule was deliberately designed to try and ensure more decisive games. Games started at 16:30 local time ( GST ), which

2739-468: The White Knight is pinned on b5." However, Topalov blundered on move 24, allowing Kramnik to win a second pawn. Topalov then gave up his rook for a knight and two pawns. That left Kramnik ahead a rook for a knight and, after forcing the trade of queens, he won the endgame easily. The match was now level 5–5. The eleventh game ended in a draw after 66 moves, leaving the match level at 5½–5½. Towards

2822-558: The actual situation of the match and to solve the problems". Ilyumzhinov stated that cancelling the forfeit was possible, but that if no compromise was reached by noon on 1 October, the match would not continue. On October 1, 2006, FIDE announced that agreement had been reached that the original bathroom arrangements would be reinstated and that the Appeals Committee had resigned and would be replaced. Later that day, FIDE announced that Game 6 would be played on October 2, with

2905-462: The alleged high match between Kramnik's moves and Fritz's is explainable without needing to invoke computer assistance. In an interview with the Spanish daily ABC published on 14 December 2006, Topalov alleged that Kramnik had cheated with computer help during the match, that network cables had been found in the bathroom ceiling, that threats were issued, and that he felt physically unsafe during

2988-527: The bathroom and Kramnik's person meant to forestall this possibility. On October 2, 2006, more than 30 GMs , WGMs , and IMs expressed open support for Kramnik's position – including former World Champions Anatoly Karpov and Boris Spassky , and multiple-time challenger Viktor Korchnoi . Spassky and Korchnoi had been involved in controversial World Chess Championship matches ( World Chess Championship 1972 and World Chess Championship 1978 respectively). Spassky felt that Fischer had only disputed against

3071-420: The best practical try after the blunder, but, down a bishop, his position could not be salvaged. This win gave Carlsen a three-point lead over Nepomniachtchi, and commentators agreed this virtually assured Carlsen would win the match. Game 10 was a 41-move draw. It was a quick, quiet game with the players eventually splitting the point. Nepomniachtchi surprised commentators by again meeting Carlsen's 1. e4 with

3154-422: The board in the match, tying the score at 4–4. It featured the strategically unbalanced Meran Variation Semi-Slav Defense . Topalov's 15...Qa5 was a theoretical novelty. After 21 moves, the players reached a sharp, complicated, queenless middlegame with Topalov having two knights for Kramnik's rook and pawn. Topalov spun a mating web with his knights and rook, aided by Kramnik's mistakes on moves 32 and 41. Game 9

3237-473: The chess record books." Game 7 was a 41-move draw. Carlsen equalized smoothly out of another Ruy Lopez, after which the players heavily exchanged material leading to a drawn position. The position was completely lifeless by the 28th move, with the remainder of the game a formality to accede to the rules regarding draw offers. For many commentators, this lifeless draw was not surprising because of how draining game 6 had been (it had ended after midnight). Game 8

3320-605: The chess world: that Nepomniachtchi's painful collapse after game six did not reflect the high level that he had shown in the first half of this championship or at the Candidates Tournament . World Chess Championship 2006 The World Chess Championship 2006 was a match between Classical World Chess Champion Vladimir Kramnik and FIDE World Chess Champion Veselin Topalov . The title of World Chess Champion had been split for 13 years. This match, played between September 23 and October 13, 2006, in Elista , Kalmykia , Russia ,

3403-461: The closing ceremony, originally scheduled for either 15 or 16 December, depending on whether or not tiebreaks would be required, was moved up to 12 December. Note: Since Carlsen reached 7½ points with game 11, the match ended even though not all 14 games were played. Game 1 was a 45-move draw. Nepomniachtchi (White) opened with 1.e4, and the game developed into a Ruy Lopez . The players followed established lines until Carlsen (Black) played 8...Na5,

Chess Federation of Russia - Misplaced Pages Continue

3486-443: The commercial partner of FIDE . The match was a best-of-14 match, with tie breaks if necessary. It was increased from best-of-12 (in place for every world championship match since 2006 ), after all 12 regular games were drawn in the previous match in 2018 . On 29 June 2020, the match was officially postponed to 2021 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The prize fund was € 2 million, split 60% vs 40% between winner and loser. If

3569-470: The decisions of the original Appeals Committee. Earlier, Kramnik had said that if his appeal fails, "the only thing I know for sure is that in this case I will sue FIDE." Kramnik's manager expressed concern that a member of Topalov's team might attempt to plant an electronic device in Kramnik's bathroom to foster suspicion that Kramnik is cheating. He suggested several measures relating to the inspection of

3652-515: The end, Kramnik was pressing hard for the full point, a pawn ahead in a rook and bishop endgame, but was unable to convert his advantage. This game featured the same variation of the Slav Defense (6.Nh4 Bg6 7.Nxg6 hxg6) as in games 9 (a Topalov win) and 11 (a draw), but for the first time Kramnik played the White side of this line. In a queen and rook endgame, with both kings open, Topalov forced

3735-456: The first 40 moves, 60 minutes for the next 20 moves, and 15 minutes for the rest of the game, with a 30-second increment per move starting with move 61. The match was best of 14 games; a score of at least 7½ would win the world championship. If the score had been equal after 14 games, tie-break games with faster time controls would have been played: Players were not allowed to agree to a draw before Black's 40th move. A draw claim before then

3818-407: The first time in the match, with the score now 5–4. Kramnik played the solid Catalan System . At move 17, Topalov, playing Black, offered Kramnik the opportunity to win a pawn if he was willing to give up his fianchettoed king's bishop for a knight (and thus weaken his king position). Kramnik accepted the offer. Susan Polgar wrote that Topalov's "compensation is his Bishop pair, good Knight on e4 and

3901-411: The forfeit standing and the score Kramnik 3 – Topalov 2. Kramnik replied that he was "ready to proceed playing the match by reserving all my rights. My further participation will be subject to the condition to clarify my rights regarding game five at later stage." On October 3, 2006, the new Appeals Committee responded to Kramnik's appeal against the Game 5 forfeit saying that they had no powers to vary

3984-442: The game as a counterexample to the stereotypes that "chess isn't a sport" or "that physical condition isn't important in chess", as well as that "classical chess is dead". Former world champion challenger Nigel Short described the game as "epic" and called Carlsen's effort in the game "stupendous". Later in the match, The New York Times called game 6 "the breakthrough that blew open the contest" and "an epic struggle that rewrote

4067-414: The game that he felt too tired after game 6 to properly calculate the sharper alternatives, and, leading the match, was happy to offer the quick draw and reach the scheduled rest day. Nepomniachtchi replied with 10...Kf8, avoiding the queen trade and probable draw which would have resulted from 10...Qe7, a decision which was criticized by multiple GMs, including Giri and Anand . Nepomniachtchi commented after

4150-400: The game that he thought both moves were equally drawish. Middlegame play continued relatively normally until Nepomniachtchi blundered with 21...b5??, losing the a7 pawn in a simple combination. Commentators also considered Black's subsequent defense imprecise; several GMs, including Giri, Anand, Caruana and Polgár suggested 23...Bxh3 as a possible improvement, while Stockfish rates 24...Rd6

4233-413: The match had been tied after 14 classical games, the prize fund would have been split 55% vs 45% in favor of the tiebreak winner. The chief arbiter was Mahdi Abdulrahim from United Arab Emirates, and the deputy arbiter was Andy Howie from Scotland. The first move of each game was ceremonially performed by guests invited by the organisers: The time control for each game was 120 minutes per side for

SECTION 50

#1732783725764

4316-411: The match if the concerns were not addressed. On September 29, 2006, the Appeals Committee, which consisted of Georgios Makropoulos, Jorge Vega, and Zurab Azmaiparashvili , determined that, although the frequency of Kramnik's visits to the toilet had been exaggerated, the private bathrooms would be closed and a common toilet opened for both players. In response, Kramnik's manager Carsten Hensel issued

4399-502: The members of the Match Appeals Committee and their latest decision taken in respect of the appeal of Topalov's team dated 28 September 2006. I am also asking you in good faith to continue your participation in this match..." Later, it emerged that Kramnik's team made a procedural blunder by not filing their protest before he defaulted the fifth game. The players were invited for a meeting by Ilyumzhinov "to discuss

4482-443: The most direct winning lines afterwards, but still simplified the position into a comfortable pawn-up rook endgame which he converted without trouble. Commentators suggested that 23.Rxd4 could have maintained a drawn position. A number of commentators expressed regret and surprise over Nepomniachtchi's poor performance in the second half of the match, where he lost three games due to uncharacteristic blunders . The exhausting game six

4565-405: The organizers, not his opponent's conduct. In interviews, Karpov and Korchnoi both stated that they would simply have walked out of the match in Kramnik's place. On October 10, 2006, in a press release Team Kramnik said: "Should the decision of FIDE regarding the fifth game have any influence on the awarding of the World Championship title, with Mr. Topalov receiving the title after being granted

4648-451: The pawn and trade into a level endgame. White obtained a minimal advantage from the opening, which he maintained until queens were exchanged. Kramnik won in the endgame, to go up 1½–½. Topalov equalized the tiebreak match with the sort of kingside attack he has become famous for. Just like in the second tiebreak game, Kramnik displayed his skill in positions where the queens have been exchanged. Topalov's small inaccuracy on move 20 (...Ne4

4731-542: The pawn to neutralize Black's initiative and reached a threefold repetition draw. In his commentary, GM Sam Shankland expressed concern about Carlsen's opening preparation, noting that he had failed to equalize in the opening. Game 2 was a 58-move draw. Carlsen played the Catalan Opening , and Nepomniachtchi elected to hold the pawn with 7...b5 rather than return it with the usual 7...a6, giving Carlsen an advantage in development and central position. Although

4814-405: The players – regardless of the outcome of the match. In past encounters, Kramnik had defeated Topalov 10 times, lost 5 games, with 24 draws. (This becomes +19 −9 =24 if rapid and blindfold games are included.) In classical time control games since the beginning of 2004, the score was 2 wins each, with 3 draws. The match was a best of 12 games. Players scored 1 point for a win and half a point for

4897-788: The press conference following Game 7, Kramnik commented on the second game where the Fritz analysis had shown a match with 87% of Kramnik's moves. Kramnik said, "A proper analysis must take into consideration that in the second game we both blundered a mate in three! First of all, this 87% is total nonsense – everything depends on the time allotted to the engine for analyzing a given position. Secondly, Topalov's percentages in San Luis , for example, were even higher." A statistical analysis by University at Buffalo professor Kenneth Regan found no evidence that Kramnik cheated. Regan stresses that this lack of evidence does not prove Kramnik did not cheat, only that

4980-422: The status of Game 5 to be resolved later. The game was uneventful, ending in a draw after 31 moves. Kramnik played a rare sideline and gradually equalized. Kramnik now led 3½–2½. The 5-hour game, a Semi-Slav Defence , was characterized as "a hard-fought 60-move draw". Topalov successfully defended a RBvRN ending a pawn down. Kramnik now led 4–3. Game 8 lasted 4½ hours, and resulted in Topalov's first win over

5063-474: The superior defense 44...e5 with 45.Rab5. Note: * indicates forfeit. On September 28, 2006, the rest day between games 4 and 5, Topalov's manager Silvio Danailov complained to the match organizers and the press about Kramnik's repeated visits to the bathroom. He noted that the bathrooms are the only place not under audio or video surveillance, and called the frequency of the breaks "strange, if not suspicious". Danailov suggested that Topalov would abandon

SECTION 60

#1732783725764

5146-579: The title that only passes on to a player when they defeat the previous world champion. This was held by Kasparov, until he was defeated by Kramnik in the Classical World Chess Championship 2000 . There was also the 'Official' FIDE world champion, determined by various tournament formats, held since the FIDE World Chess Championship 2005 by Topalov. From 1993 to 2006, no match was ever held between

5229-568: The toilet of his own restroom whenever he wishes to do so." Hensel also declared his lack of confidence in the Appeals Committee and demanded that its members be changed. Awaiting a reversal of the Appeal Committee's decision, Kramnik refused to play Game 5. At 5:00 p.m. local time, the Chief Arbiter declared that Kramnik had forfeited. FIDE President Kirsan Ilyumzhinov told Kramnik "...I hereby inform you of my full trust in

5312-483: The top choice of the neural network chess engine Leela Chess Zero . Nepomniachtchi quickly played the strong but not obvious move 14.Kf1!, indicating that he was still within his preparation. Carlsen sacrificed a pawn in return for the bishop pair , more space , and more activity. Nepomniachtchi played some inaccurate moves (22.Bf4 ?! and 30.Ne1?!), allowing Carlsen to gain a slightly better position. With Carlsen pressing, Nepomniachtchi defended accurately, returning

5395-600: The tournament was halted at the halfway point on 26 March 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The second half was played between 19 April and 27 April 2021, also in Yekaterinburg. The qualifiers for the Candidates Tournament were: If one or more players declined the invitation to play in the Candidates Tournament, the players with the next highest average ratings would qualify. On March 6, 2020, Teimour Radjabov withdrew because of concerns about

5478-657: The variation was clearly in Carlsen's preparation, Nepomniachtchi did not shirk from a battle with 13...Nd3. The resulting middlegame was complicated, with Carlsen holding an advantage until the inaccurate 17.Ne5. Carlsen later confessed that he had missed his opponent's response 18...Nac5. Nepomniachtchi won the exchange , but White had strong compensation and initiative. The game continued to be complicated, with commentator Sam Shankland writing that he thought White had an advantage before consulting an engine, which clearly favoured Black. GM Anish Giri called Nepomniatchi's 24...c3

5561-493: The various classical and official champions. This match brought the two titleholders together to unify the World Chess Championship for the first time since the 1993 split. Kramnik was invited to the FIDE World Chess Championship 2005 in San Luis , Argentina . As "Classical" World Champion, he refused to play, but indicated his willingness to play the winner in a match to unify the title. Negotiations for

5644-413: The white king into the open) made his task much more difficult. Ultimately, Nepomniachtchi made the decisive error 130...Qe6 (130...Qb1 and 130...Qc2 were the only drawing moves according to the tablebase), allowing Carlsen to begin advancing his pawns towards inevitable promotion . The players discussed the game immediately after its finish and seemingly agreed that the objective result should have been

5727-405: Was 1 win each with 4 draws. Their most recent pre-championship game, during the 2021 Norway Chess tournament, was a draw. Bids were originally to be presented to FIDE no later than 1 March 2019, with inspection of the proposed venues between 1 July and 15 August 2019. Early interest was expressed in 2018 by Monaco and Vienna , though nothing came of these. Stavanger , Norway , announced

5810-498: Was a chess match between the reigning world champion Magnus Carlsen and the challenger Ian Nepomniachtchi to determine the World Chess Champion . It was held under the auspices of FIDE and played during Expo 2020 at Dubai Exhibition Centre in Dubai , United Arab Emirates , between 24 November and 12 December 2021. It was originally scheduled for the latter half of 2020 but was postponed until 2021 because of

5893-478: Was a 136-move win for Carlsen that lasted 7 hours 45 minutes. As of 2023 , it is the longest game in the history of the World Chess Championship, surpassing the previous record, a 124-move draw in game 5 of the World Chess Championship 1978 between Anatoly Karpov and Viktor Korchnoi . With 25...Rac8, Nepomniachtchi unbalanced the position by giving up two rooks for Carlsen's queen, offering

5976-416: Was a 3-hour tussle featuring a Slav Defense . Topalov's 6.Nh4 and 7.Nxg6 is a standard idea gaining White the advantage of the bishop pair . Topalov followed up in unusual fashion, however, with a3, g3, and f4 on the next three moves, leading Susan Polgar to observe that, "Topalov made way too many Pawn moves in the opening." However, Kramnik was unable to find an effective response and eventually ended up in

6059-495: Was a 33-move draw. Carlsen opened with 1.e4, against which Nepomniachtchi played Petrov's Defence . The game followed known theory until Carlsen tried the novelty 18.Nh4. Although an interesting move, Nepomniachtchi had seen the idea before and had prepared for the variation. Although the position looked risky for Nepomniachtchi with a knight stuck on f8, the passed a-pawn provided strong counterplay . Carlsen thought for 50 minutes looking for winning chances, before acquiescing to

6142-402: Was a 46-move win for Carlsen. Nepomniachtchi blundered a pawn in the middle game, leaving him with a lost position, and Carlsen carefully and accurately converted his advantage to a win in the queen-and-pawn endgame . This gave Carlsen a two-game lead, with commentators saying it was now difficult for Nepomniachtchi to win the match. Carlsen began with 1.e4 and Nepomniachtchi again replied with

6225-673: Was a 49-move win for Carlsen. Nepomniachtchi began with 1.e4, as he had in games 1, 3, 5, and 7, but deviated with 3.Bc4, the Italian Game , instead of the Ruy Lopez he had played previously. He did not play the most ambitious moves, and Black achieved the central pawn break ...d5 – thematic in the Italian – before White did. With no advantage, Nepomniachtchi blundered again with 23.g3??, a surprising blunder because Black has only one good response, but that response wins. Carlsen did not play

6308-487: Was advantageous to Carlsen. With 80.Rxf7+! Carlsen entered an endgame with rook, knight and two connected passed pawns against Nepomniachtchi's queen, which Giri described as "terribly unpleasant" for Nepomniachtchi. While the position was a tablebase draw, the burden was mainly on Nepomniachtchi to defend accurately to achieve this. Meanwhile, Carlsen, facing no serious threat of losing, could continue pressing his position. Nepomniachtchi's 118...Qa5 (instead of Qb6+, forcing

6391-532: Was better) was punished by a precise sequence of moves from Kramnik, which eventually won him a pawn. In an extremely difficult position, Topalov made one final blunder , and the match was over. Topalov's 44...Rxc5?? cost him the game and the title. However, in a post-match interview, Kramnik claimed that he had a decisive advantage even before Topalov's blunder. According to Australian GM Ian Rogers in Chess Life Online , White should still win against

6474-524: Was identified as a possible explanation for the Russian grandmaster's seeming collapse. A typical comment, from the Chess.com summary of the match, reads: "It's sad; we know what he's [Nepomniachtchi's] capable of and he didn't get to show the world in this match," said GM Robert Hess during the Chess.com broadcast today. The American grandmaster and commentator expressed what seems to be the general feeling in

6557-454: Was not on his team for this match. Dubov was criticised by a number of other Russian players, including Sergey Karjakin and Sergei Shipov , who suggested that Dubov (a Russian grandmaster) should not aid a non-Russian in a match against a fellow Russian. In response, Dubov contended that he considered it to be a match between two individuals, and said that a counter-argument was that working with Carlsen would improve his chess and hence help

6640-406: Was permitted only through the arbiter, if a threefold repetition or stalemate had occurred. Prior to the match, Nepomniachtchi and Carlsen had played 13 games against each other at classical time controls , of which Nepomniachtchi won 4 and Carlsen 1, with 8 draws. Several of these games were played when they were juniors, however, and in the five years before the match their head-to-head score

6723-439: Was prepared and equalized smoothly. White had a small initiative, but after an accurate bishop maneuver by Black (17...Bc8 followed by ...Be6 preparing ...d5), mass exchanges into a drawn endgame followed. Chess.com called Carlsen's preparation with Black thus far "bulletproof", although Carlsen remarked during the postgame conference that it had not been as easy as it looked, and he had not managed to get many chances. Game 4

6806-425: Was reduced to 3–2. This is the first world chess championship match since Spassky–Fischer 1972 in which a game was forfeited. Game 6 was due to be played on September 30, but was postponed until October 2 by the decision of the FIDE president. On September 30 and October 1 negotiations over match continuation between players, their teams, and FIDE took place instead. Kramnik agreed to play Game 6 under protest, with

6889-432: Was to reunite the two World Chess Champion titles and produce an undisputed World Champion. Kramnik won the first two games, establishing a commanding lead. However, after Topalov's camp alleged that Kramnik was using computer assistance , Kramnik refused to play Game 5 and forfeited. He eventually agreed to play again under protest. Topalov won games 8 and 9, taking the lead for the first time, but Kramnik struck back with

#763236