Second Part of Candidates Tournament Postponed to Spring of 2021

FIDE publishes the official press release.

According to the press release published by the International Chess Federation, the second part of the FIDE Candidates Tournament is postponed to the spring of 2021. 

The main reason for rescheduling the event is, of course, the concern related to the well-being of the players in the midst of the second wave of the pandemic. FIDE was ready to provide special travel arrangements and hospitality, including dedicated charter flights, and a high-class hotel being converted into an isolated environment. The organisation has discussed all the details with each one of the players, which helped it weigh all pros and cons.

Till now, FIDE has not received clearance for all players to participate in the tournament. Two players from one country are awaiting permission from their national authorities. While having full respect for the respective national procedures, FIDE will take further decisions about both the location and timing of the event based on the organisation’s internal rules.

With the World Championship Match being scheduled for November-December 2021, there will be some margin to adjust the reschedule of the Candidates Tournament. Holding the event in the Spring of 2021 increases significantly the possibility of staging this very important event in a safe environment, minimising the stress on the participants.

Standings after part 1:

1-2. Maxime Vachier-Lagrave (France), Ian Nepomniachtchi (Russia) - 4,5 points out of 7 

3-6. Fabiano Caruana (USA), Anish Giri (Netherlands), Wang Hao (China), Alexander Grischuk (Russia) - 3.5

7-8. Ding Liren (China), Kirill Alekseenko (Russia) - 2.5.

Information on FIDE.com