For all the chess aficionados out there, the 2016 FIDE Candidates Tournament in Moscow is wrapping up Round 2 of 14. The 8 players are vying for the right for the right to play one on one against defending world champion Magnus Carlsen in November (10th thru the 30th) in the World Championship.
It's a particularly exciting time for American chess as the World Championships to be held in New York will mark the first time since 1995 that it will be held in the U.S. At that time it was held on the 107th floor of the World Trade Center. No specific site has been named yet (perhaps Washington Square! Park!). As is common with chess, corporate sponsorship, especially American corporate sponsorship is tough to obtain; and that could dictate the specific location in New York
To add to the American angle, probably for the first time since Bobby Fischer, the U.S. has a legitimate shot at the World championship as we have 2 players among the favorites Hikaru Nakamura (my personal favorite) and Fabiano Caruana. Here is a profile of all 8 participants in the Candidates tournament.
As a sidenote, a bit of a controversy has embroiled the Candidates tournament. "The organizer of the FIDE Candidates' Tournament, which starts Friday in Moscow, has shocked chess websites with the announcement that its live games will be available exclusively on the tournament website."
Normally there are plenty of web sites from which you can follow the moves in a match with live commentary. I understand whee AGNON is coming from as they are trying to protect their turf so to speak but many think they have crossed the line. My main gripe is that when you go onto the site to follow the matches there is no way to proceed backward and replay the moves; unless I am too stupid to figure it out. Also, the live commentary strays too much, even for chess commentary, into non-match talk.
It's a particularly exciting time for American chess as the World Championships to be held in New York will mark the first time since 1995 that it will be held in the U.S. At that time it was held on the 107th floor of the World Trade Center. No specific site has been named yet (perhaps Washington Square! Park!). As is common with chess, corporate sponsorship, especially American corporate sponsorship is tough to obtain; and that could dictate the specific location in New York
To add to the American angle, probably for the first time since Bobby Fischer, the U.S. has a legitimate shot at the World championship as we have 2 players among the favorites Hikaru Nakamura (my personal favorite) and Fabiano Caruana. Here is a profile of all 8 participants in the Candidates tournament.
As a sidenote, a bit of a controversy has embroiled the Candidates tournament. "The organizer of the FIDE Candidates' Tournament, which starts Friday in Moscow, has shocked chess websites with the announcement that its live games will be available exclusively on the tournament website."
Normally there are plenty of web sites from which you can follow the moves in a match with live commentary. I understand whee AGNON is coming from as they are trying to protect their turf so to speak but many think they have crossed the line. My main gripe is that when you go onto the site to follow the matches there is no way to proceed backward and replay the moves; unless I am too stupid to figure it out. Also, the live commentary strays too much, even for chess commentary, into non-match talk.
