Post
by AustinElliott » Mon Jul 04, 2022 3:23 pm
Nepo is, of course, automatically entitled to Israeli citizenship, like quite a lot of chess-players from Russian and the former Soviet republics past and present.
Given that Nepo is playing the Candidates, but playing under an FIDE neutral flag, and made his feelings about the Ukraine invasion clear at the start, I don't see the politics preventing Nepo playing a WC Match. The sponsorship problem is a much more significant barrier. But do we really think there is *no* chess-interested govt or billionaire that would be interested? Not in Europe or the US, perhaps, but that's not the entire world. The gulf states strike me as an obvious potential sponsor/venue, like last time.
Personally I think Carlsen will play, if someone offers the sponsorship and hosting. Various points. One is that Nepo has shown he is currently the 'best of the rest', quite conclusively so in this tournament. Who is a more credible challenger to Magnus? Not Firouzja, yet, on this showing.
Second, the first match was only scheduled for 14 games, which (as many people, super GMs included. have said) gives limited chance for a player who takes a crushing loss to recover. As it indeed proved. And as it was they only played 11 games. A second 14-game match would take us up to a game tally approaching or past the old 'historic' 24-game matches, cf. Fischer-Spassky and the ones before. Both players know the history, Carlsen particularly.
Continuing on that theme, despite the conclusive score of the first match, the overall lifetime score in classical games between the two is still only 6 to 4 for Magnus, with 18 draws. You could argue that another convincing match victory is needed to reinforce Carlsen's superiority. He may be a bit tired of playing World Championship matches, but one doubts he is tired of proving he is the best.
You could also argue that playing the same opponent again reduces the amount of prep the two players have to do, since much of what they prepared for the previous match likely remains unused. See e.g. the benefit Nepo has been deriving from it in the Candidates tournament.
Here's an idea. Perhaps they could play in Qatar in the first three weeks of November, before the World Cup?