World number one Magnus Carlsen of Norway will be the man to beat at the €1mn FIDE World Rapid & Blitz Championships where world champion Gukesh Dommaraju of India is feeling primed for a battling contest at the December 26-30 ‘chess festival’.
Carlsen has won the rapid title five times and the blitz crown on eight occasions. The 35-year-old shared the blitz title with Ian Nepomniachtchi in New York last year, and will be aiming to defend his title in Doha.
“I am here to win, as always,” Carlsen, said Thursday at a pre-event press conference.
“I want to compete for the title, even though the competition will be fierce among all players,” he added.
“For me, playing well in any format is important,” Gukesh, the reigning world champion in classical chess, said Thursday as hosts Qatar Chess Association (QCA) confirmed an entry list of 400 players from around the world.
FIDE has allocated €700,000 in prize money for the Open category - divided equally between the Rapid and Blitz tournaments – and €300,000 for the Women’s category, also divided equally.
Mohammed al-Mudahka, President of QCA and Vice-President of the Arab Chess Federation, Thursday said the championships will be hosted at the Sports and Events Complex of Qatar University.
At the pre-event press conference, al-Mudahka Thursday was joined by FIDE president Arkady Dvorkovich and world number one women’s player Ju Wenjun of China besides Carslen and Gukesh.
Carlsen disclosed that his close association with QCA and al-Mudahka convinced him to rescind his decision not to play the World Rapid & Blitz Championships following a dress code debacle last year.
“I have participated twice before in the Qatar Masters, as well as in the 2016 World Championships,” Carlsen said Thursday.
“I like coming here. I have a good relationship with the President of the Qatar Chess Association Mohammed al-Mudahka, and this played a significant role in my participation in the tournament. My family likes it here too,” the Norwegian, who became a dad on September 27, added.
“The results in the last edition (of Qatar Masters) were not satisfactory for me. All the competitors have a strong chance (this week) and the gap between the top-ranked players and the rest has narrowed, making the task difficult for everyone,” Carlsen noted.
Carlsen pointed out that the integration of technology into the rules of chess is extremely important, but it must be used positively to serve the game, provided that mental fortitude and constant focus are maintained in order to find quick solutions.
Carlsen, never short of an expression at press conferences, added that AI was making chess ‘boring’.
“To give an honest answer, I think all of these (AI) tools are incredible for learning, and they were very exciting for top chess players at the start. Over time, it’s made the game harder, and honestly more and more boring. Kind of made it too easy to prep up. So, there’s always give and take with technology,” he said.
Gukesh, the youngest male world champion and the third youngest to reach a rating of 2700 and the youngest to reach a rating of 2750, said there would be fierce competition among the players.
“Everyone is looking forward to this participation with great anticipation,” Gukesh said Thursday. “I am used to facing many young players, and the competition will certainly be very tough,” he added.
“I had some good practice from the Global Chess League. I played a few rapid games against some very strong opponents. So, I’m happy to be here to play more rapid games. My strategy would be to just play fast, focus on each game, and make the most of it,” he said.
But the Indian chess star quickly added: “I think, for me, playing well in any format is always important. I have been taking rapid and blitz a bit more seriously this year. That being said, I think rapid and blitz events have been slightly less of a priority than classical events for me.”
The world champion said that he has benefited immensely from modern technology, which has developed his abilities, but he pointed out the need for caution.
“For me, it’s mostly been positive and more. Something that (AI) helps me learn a lot of things quickly but also there are disadvantages.
“Like it’s made preparations easier and in classical games it’s harder and harder to win games against opponents who are well-prepared,” Gukesh said.
“But I enjoy working with computers and learning new ideas,’’ the 19-year-old added.
China’s Ju Wenjun thrilled to be in Doha
Chinese chess star Ju Wenjun, ranked number one in the world, said that she feels excited to be participating in the Doha event.
“The tournament is a prominent event and an opportunity for participating players from all over the world to showcase their talents and abilities,” Ju Wenjun said Thursday.
When asked about the role of AI and its impact on the game, the Chinese champion explained: “Without a doubt, the use of technology has contributed to honing the skills of both male and female players and has been extremely important, but caution and complete mental preparation are essential.”
Besides Carlsen and Gukesh, this year’s iteration will feature the participation of the world’s elite players, including Russia’s Nepomniachtchi, American Fabiano Caruana, Anish Giri of the Netherlands, Wesley So, Levon Aronian, Vincent Keymer, Arjun Erigaisi, Nodirbek Abdusattorov, Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa of India, Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus of Turkiye, as well as Alexander Grischuk of Russia and Vasyl Ivanchuk of Ukraine, the winner of the 2016 World Rapid Chess Championship in Doha.
Representing Qatar are International Master Hussein Aziz, Khalid al-Jumaat, Hamad al-Kuwari and Ibrahim al-Janahi.
In the Women’s category, Wenjun will headline the field, alongside compatriot Tan Zhongyi, the world No 2, Aleksandra Goryachkina of Russia, Bibisara Assaubayeva of Kazakhstan, Anna Muzychuk, the winner of the 2016 World Rapid & Blitz Chess Championship in Doha, and her sister Mariya Muzychuk, in addition to Kateryna Lagno of Russia and India’s Koneru Humpy and Harika Dronavalli. The event will feature a total of 130 female players.
Doha last hosted the championship in 2016, when Vasyl Ivanchuk of Ukraine won the World Rapid Chess Championship, and Sergey Karjakin of Russia clinched the World Blitz Chess Championship title with the participation of 120 International Masters and 36 International Masters.
