Greek betting site Stoiximan �?the only site I found offering odds on the Chess Olympiad �?pegs the United States as the -500 to win the gold medals in the Open section of the tournament.

India could challenge deep American team

Team USA would come into the Chess Olympiad as a popular choice to win gold no matter what the circumstances. Fabiano Caruana will take first-board responsibilities for the Americans, with Levon Aronian, Wesley So, and Leinier Dominguez Perez behind him. Sam Shankland will take on the alternate role, meaning the United States features a lineup with five players boasting ratings of 2720 or higher.

Caruana, Aronian, and So all rank among the top seven in the live classical ratings at 2700chess.com, while Dominguez Perez slots in at No. 14. Even Shankland ranks 26th in the world. It’s a level of depth that no other country can hope to match in Chennai this year. Team USA comes in with an average rating of 2771, while no other team averages even 2700.

If someone can upset the Americans, it may be the hosts. India enters as the second seed, led by 2700+ grandmasters Pentala Harikrishna and Gujrathi Vidit Santosh. Stoiximan rates India as a +500 second choice for the Open gold.

As hosts, India actually has three teams in the Chess Olympiad. Even the India B-Team (+3500) could threaten the medal podium. The second Indian team features a number of top young stars, including 16-year-old Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa, who has beaten exiting World Champion Magnus Carlsen on multiple occasions in rapid play.

“Both Indian teams have a very strong and impressive line of players,�?Carlsen told reporters. “I think both have a chance to be amongst the medals.�?/p>

Carlsen’s own Norwegian team is also a medal contender. Norway (+2400) enters as the third seed, with Carlsen boosting an otherwise second-tier team into a threat in every match.

Russia, China out of Chess Olympiad

The top squads will also benefit from the absence of two perennial contenders. FIDE barred Russia from the Chess Olympiad due to the country’s invasion of Ukraine, while China is skipping the event due to COVID-19 protocols in the country.

On the women’s side of the competition, hosts India (-111) start out as slight favorites over Ukraine (+100) in a likely two-horse race for gold. Humpy Koneru leads the Indian team, while Mariya and Anna Muzychuk lead a Ukrainian squad that boasts three grandmasters. The United States comes in as the No. 7 seed in the women’s competition at the Chess Olympiad.

While the Olympiad will take on an unusual feel with the absence of two major contenders on each side of the tournament, Carlsen says he’s still looking forward to the event.

“It is going to be awesome to be back in Chennai again as it has been nine years since one of the greatest experiences of my chess career,�?Carlsen said, referencing his 2013 World Chess Championship victory over Viswanathan Anand. “Tamil Nadu or say Chennai is the hottest hub of chess in the world now. So just to be there and be a part of the chess celebration is a reason in itself.�?/p>

The open and women’s competitions will each play 11 rounds, with the Chess Olympiad wrapping up on Aug. 9.

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The 31-year-old Carlsen cited a lack of motivation as the key factor in his decision not to defend the title again.

Nepomniachtchi to face Ding in 2023 World Championship

Carlsen has long discussed the idea of giving up his title. He declared before the 2022 Candidates Tournament that he was unlikely to defend the World Championship unless Alireza Firouzja won the qualifier.

Instead, it was Nepomniachtchi who ran away with the Candidates Tournament for the second straight cycle. Rather than defend against the Russian again, Carlsen will allow Nepomniachtchi to face off in a match with second-place finisher Ding Liren for the title.

“I am not motivated to play another match,�?Carlsen said on the first episode of “The Magnus Effect,�?his new podcast. “Although I’m sure a match would be interested for historical reasons and all of that, I don’t have any inclination to play, and I will simply not play the match.�?/p>

Carlsen first won the title by beating Viswanathan Anand in 2013. He beat Anand again in a rematch, then won further title defenses against Sergey Karjakin, Fabiano Caruana, and Nepomniachtchi.

Carlsen would have been a substantial favorite in a rematch with Nepomniachtchi. Sportsbooks have yet to post odds for the matchup between Nepomniachtchi and Ding. While Nepomniachtchi has more championship experience, Ding holds the No. 2 rating in the world, trailing only Carlsen.

“It’s hard to believe! I need to calm down a little bit,â€�?Ding told chess24.com. “It’s a backdoor chance. I got very lucky to have the chance to play a World Championship match. It’s my best chance for sure. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime chance.â€�?/p>

Carlsen turns to tournament play, ratings goals

Carlsen made it clear that he has no intention of retiring from professional chess, however. The Norwegian has set a goal of establishing a 2900 classical rating �?a level no player has ever reached �?and says he plans to continue to play in a variety of tournaments.

“I’m leaving later today to go to Croatia to play the Grand Chess Tour. From there on, I’m going to go to Chennai to play the Olympiad, which is going to be a lot of fun, and the Norwegian team are seeded as No. 4 there,�?Carlsen said, via chess24.com. “I enjoy playing tournaments a lot. Obviously, I enjoy them a lot more than I enjoy the World Championship, and frankly I don’t see myself stopping as a chess player any time soon.�?/p>

There was speculation that Carlsen might defend his title if the World Chess Federation (FIDE) adjusted the format for title matches. However, Carlsen said he never intended to play, regardless of any changes.

“I did agree to meet with [Arkady] Dvorkovich and [Emil] Sutovsky from FIDE to talk a little bit [after the Candidates Tournament],�?Carlsen said. “I did not have any demands or suggestions for that meeting. They did have a couple of suggestions, but the gist of it was that I was there to tell them that I would not defend my title in the next World Championship match.�?/p>

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Nepomniachtchi secured a draw in his final game against Jan-Krzysztof Duda to finish with five wins and nine draws over the double round-robin tournament.

Nepomniachtchi sets new mark for Candidates Tournament

In total, Nepomniachtchi scored 9.5 points, a record haul for the current Candidates Tournament format.

“I feel extremely tired,�?Nepomniachtchi said after clinching first place in Round 13. “It’s an insanely difficult tournament. Despite the score, it was never easy. Every game could have some danger, I could never feel safe, maybe until I had two points with two rounds to go.�?/p>

Nepomniachtchi also credited a string of short games with allowing him to remain fresh from start to finish.

“I think I never had a six-hour game here, so it was more or less every time, it was decided even before the first time control,�?Nepomniachtchi said. “I never was forced to push too hard. Obviously, this all became possible because I started so well, beating maybe the main favorite of the tournament [Ding Liren] with the black pieces.�?/p>

Nepomniachtchi came into the Candidates Tournament as a +800 pick to repeat, according to DraftKings Sportsbook. Ding Liren had started as the +200 favorite to take first place, just ahead of Fabiano Caruana (+250).

Ding beats Nakamura to slide into second

In the end, Ding was able to claim a clear second place by overtaking Hikaru Nakamura in Monday’s final round. Nakamura came into the 14th round with a half-point lead over Ding, but the two were playing each other on the final day. Ding had White and the two played a Queen’s Gambit Accepted. The game seemed headed to a draw after the two exchanged queens.

Ding Liren beats Hikaru Nakamura on demand to win �?6,000 �?if Magnus Carlsen chooses not to play a match in 2023 then it's Ding who will take on Ian Nepomniachtchi for the World Championship title! //t.co/yUofuJxgtj #c24live #FIDECandidates pic.twitter.com/Ubejo4Z5rq

— chess24.com (@chess24com) July 4, 2022

But Ding was able to keep some life in the position after a Nakamura inaccuracy allowed rooks to stay on the board. Ding continued to make progress, and by the 35th move, had achieved a clearly winning endgame. Nakamura continued to fight, but resigned after 58 moves.

“I felt like my timing was a little bit off throughout this game,�?Nakamura said afterwards. “I don’t know if it’s just because I was feeling nerves or what was going on exactly, but I simply couldn’t bring myself to use a lot of time until it was too late.�?/p>

Ding’s second-place finish could prove critical. Should Magnus Carlsen choose not to defend his crown, then Nepomniachtchi will play Ding for the World Chess Championship in 2023.

However, hopes may be rising that Carlsen will play next year. While the champion has previously said he’s tiring of defending the World Championship, he did meet with FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich and Director-General Emil Sutovsky on Sunday to discuss potential changes to the championship format. FIDE officials have asked Carlsen to make his final decision on playing by July 20, which is International Chess Day.

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Unibet now lists Nepomniachtchi as an overwhelming -10000 favorite to win the Candidates Tournament.

Caruana novelty not enough to topple Nepomniachtchi

That number overstates the Russian’s advantage, though perhaps not by all that much. With his draw in Round 9, he remains a full point ahead of Caruana with five games to play. Furthermore, the American no longer has a head-to-head opportunity to catch the leader. Unibet lists Caruana as a +550 pick to win the Candidates Tournament.

Caruana played 1. e4, welcoming Nepomniachtchi to play his solid Petroff Defense. However, the American grandmaster unleashed a novelty on move 11 that seemed to take Nepomniachtchi out of his preparation.

11.Nh4 from Fabiano Caruana seems to be a novelty at the top level! //t.co/JjEpiLIz3n #c24live #FIDECandidates pic.twitter.com/0H7M03W0Wa

— chess24.com (@chess24com) June 27, 2022

Caruana held the advantage through much of the middlegame, with computer engines giving him reasonable chances to play for a win. However, a mistake on move 24 brought the game back to equality, with Nepomniachtchi actually holding the edge for a short time.

“That’s just bad luck, I guess,�?Caruana said afterwards. “It’s by one move that Black draws, but I guess it’s enough.�?/p>

Both sides held their ground well enough to secure a draw �?a result that was only good for Nepomniachtchi.

“A point is quite a lot with five rounds to go, but not insurmountable,�?Caruana said of his deficit after the draw.

Loss sinks Nakamura’s Candidates Tournament chances

Hikaru Nakamura entered Round 9 with a realistic chance of getting into the mix, but left it with faint hopes of contending for first place at the Candidates Tournament. The popular streamer had closed to within 1.5 points of Nepomniachtchi and had Black against last-placed Teimour Radjabov on Monday.

Nakamura knew he had to play for a win, but couldn’t find an advantage in the Berlin Defense. Worse still, he pressed hard in an effort to create complications, only to end up losing in just 41 moves.

“This is what I would say was my attempt to go for it, to try and create something unbalanced and to try and win and give myself an outside chance of perhaps winning the tournament,�?Nakamura said of his loss. “As it turns out, unfortunately it’s a very serious error, and I simply end up with a much worse position after what happened in the game.�?/p>

Nakamura is now two points back of Nepomniachtchi, and Unibet gives him a +3000 shot at winning the Candidates Tournament.

White had a blast in Round 9 of #FIDECandidates!
â �?br />Standings after 9 games going into a free day:
1. Nepomniachtchi – 6½
2. Caruana – 5½
3-4. Nakamura, Ding – 4½
5-7. Radjabov, Firouzja, Rapport – 4
8. Duda – 3
â �?br />The tournament will resume with Round 10 on Wednesday, June 29. pic.twitter.com/xKVnbURX3p

— International Chess Federation (@FIDE_chess) June 27, 2022

“Effectively the tournament is over in terms of competing for first place,�?Nakamura said. “But there are still five more rounds to go.�?/p>

Ding Liren (+2000) is also two points back after beating Jan-Krzysztof Duda to complete a bloody day with three decisive results.

While Nepomniachtchi may have a stranglehold on first place �?at least for the moment �?the rest of the field still has something to play for. With Magnus Carlsen potentially opting out of defending his World Championship, the match between the top two finishers at the Candidates Tournament could still determine the world champion.

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Nepomniachtchi beat young star Alireza Firouzja on Tuesday to move to three points after four rounds.

Sicilian Defense goes wrong for Firouzja

Unibet now lists Nepomniachtchi as the +130 favorite to win the Candidates Tournament and, perhaps, earn a rematch with World Chess Champion Magnus Carlsen.

Nepomniachtchi blew Firouzja off the board in a Najdorf Sicilian that went all wrong for Black. While Firouzja looked to play a lesser-known variation by placing his bishop on c4 for his 15th move, Nepomniachtchi reacted coolly and soon had a winning position.

“I just decided to go for some logical moves,�?Nepomniachtchi said afterwards, via Chess.com. “Obviously, his idea was to play 17�?d5 18. exd5 Nd6, so I decided to just interrupt with 18. f6. I am not sure if it’s objectively good, but I thought I just give a pawn, put my knight on g3, and at least I shouldn’t be worse.�?/p>

A confused Firouzja made multiple mistakes in the next few moves, quickly finding himself low on time and in a losing position. He resigned in the face of a coming checkmate on move 39.

Nepomniachtchi's win over Firouzja in Round 4 makes him the sole leader of the #FIDECandidates!

Standings:
1. Nepomniachtchi – 3 points
2. Caruana Fabiano – 2,5
3-5. Duda, Rapport, Nakamura – 2
6-8. Ding, Radjabov, Firouzja – 1,5

Round 5 is tomorrow, June 22, at 15:00 CEST. pic.twitter.com/6oWirVUi2y

— International Chess Federation (@FIDE_chess) June 21, 2022

Nepomniachtchi now holds a half-point lead over American Fabiano Caruana, who drew Ding Liren with Black in Monday’s Round 4. Caruana ranks as the second choice to win the Candidates Tournament at Unibet, with the bookmaker giving the former World Chess Championship challenger +175 odds.

Caruana: Only first counts in Candidates Tournament

Should Nepomniachtchi or Caruana win the Candidates Tournament, it might increase the likelihood that Carlsen gives up his World Chess Championship rather than defending it. Carlsen has plainly stated that he’s not sure if he wants to play more championship matches, and might only be interested in another title defense if he could play a young, exciting opponent such as Firouzja.

However, Caruana isn’t convinced that Carlsen will give up his crown so easily.

“I don’t really buy into what Magnus says, although he usually speaks his mind and speaks honestly,�?Caruana said in the pre-tournament press conference. “If I were in his position, there’s no way that I would not take up the challenge regardless of who wins the Candidates and who qualifies �?I understand it’s a bit different as he’s been in that spot more than anyone in modern chess, but to me, I look at this tournament as still only a first place will qualify.�?/p>

Caruana was referencing the fact that if Carlsen does give up his title prematurely, the top two finishers in the Candidates Tournament will compete for the World Chess Championship instead.

Richard Rapport (+900), Hikaru Nakamura (+1100), and Jan-Krzysztof Duda (+1400) share third place on two points. Meanwhile, Ding Liren (+900) still rates as one of the top contenders despite a slow start, as he has just 1.5 points after four rounds.

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The winner of the double round-robin event will potentially take on Magnus Carlsen for the World Chess Championship next year.

Carlsen undecided on defending title

To be clear, the winner will earn a spot in the next championship match. The question is whether or not Carlsen will participate. Since beating Ian Nepomniachtchi in the 2021 World Championship, Carlsen has said several times that he is leaning toward not defending his title unless his next opponent presents a new and interesting challenge.

Carlsen singled out young prodigy Alireza Firouzja as an opponent who could motivate him for another match. Should Carlsen drop out, the top two finishers in the Candidates Tournament will instead battle for the title.

Chinese grandmaster Ding Liren comes into the Candidates Tournament as the favorite to win the event. DraftKings Sportsbook rates Ding as a +200 pick, just ahead of American (and former championship challenger) Fabiano Caruana, who stands at +250.

It’s not just oddsmakers who see Ding as a favorite for the tournament. Recently, former world champion and chess legend Garry Kasparov told Anna Rudolph that he pegged Ding as the top choice to win the Candidates Tournament as well.

“Why?�?Kasparov said. “Just look at his games.�?/p>

Depth of contenders in Candidates Tournament

Kasparov also pointed out Caruana as a threat because of his previous World Chess Championship experience. He also gave praise to Jan Krzysztof Duda, the young Polish grandmaster who has played well over the past two years in a variety of live and online events, particularly against Carlsen himself.

Duda enters the Candidates Tournament as a +1000 pick, but remains confident.

“Since I was six or seven, I have been convinced that one day I would become the world champion,�?Duda told Dawid Czerw for Chess.com. “It was quite obvious to me.�?/p>

Alireza (+400) stands as the most fascinating contender at the Candidates Tournament. At just 18 (he’ll turn 19 during the tournament), many fans and pundits believe Alireza will become World Chess Champion sooner or later. He comes in with a realistic chance to win the event, though his relative lack of experience means he’s not the favorite this time around.

Another fan favorite is American grandmaster Hikaru Nakamura (+800), who’s spent more time streaming chess than playing over the board in the past few years. Nakamura earned his way into the field by winning the 2022 FIDE Grand Prix, and while he currently ranks No. 11 in the world, he was once as high as No. 2.

The Candidates Tournament wraps up on July 5, when players will compete in tiebreakers, if necessary. Along with a berth in the World Championship, players are also competing for �?00K ($520K) in prize money, with the winner taking home a base prize of �?8K ($50K) along with performance bonuses based on each player’s score.

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Carlsen rates as the -155 favorite to win Norway Chess at online sportsbook bwin, but he’ll have to make up ground on the leaders after the first round.

Carlsen beats Wang in Armageddon

Wang Hao held Carlsen to a draw in the classical portion of their Monday matchup, stymying the champion with the black pieces. However, at Norway Chess, that’s only the start of the story.

A classical win counts as three points in this tournament, while a loss earns a player zero for that round. A draw is worth a point and requires the players then face off in an Armageddon game, with the victor walking away with a bonus half-point.

Carlsen scored a win with White in the tie-break game, meaning he finished Tuesday with 1.5 points. That puts him behind Wesley So and former World Champion Viswanathan Anand, both of whom scored classical wins with the white pieces.

That puts So and Anand in the lead at Norway Chess after one round with three points each. So is the +200 second choice to win the tournament, with Anand third on the board at +1000.

So already has a win in Norway this week. On Monday, So won the blitz tournament, which the Norway Chess organizers have traditionally used in lieu of a drawing of lots to determine pairings ahead of the event. So went 5-3-1 (6.5 points) to beat Carlsen by a full point, and also won their individual matchup.

Norway Chess organizers scramble to fill field

While So will be pleased to win the blitz tournament, he says the real test is matching up with Carlsen in the main event.

“Magnus has been the best player for 10 years now, there is nobody close,�?So told reporters. “It’s a bit embarrassing for the rest of us that his rating is so much higher than the rest.�?/p>

The Norway Chess field features some veteran players who haven’t been active as of late. That includes both Anand and former World Champion Veselin Topalov, who hasn’t played a classical tournament since 2020. Organizers sought to celebrate the 10th edition of the event by inviting back previous winners, including Topalov.

The tournament also banned Russian players from participating, which eliminated potential players like Sergey Karjakin and Alexander Grischuk. Richard Rapport dropped out of the tournament at the last minute before switching his allegiance from Hungary to the Romanian Chess Federation after citing a lack of financial support in his home country.

On short notice, organizers invited Norway’s second-ranked grandmaster, Aryan Tari, to play in the tournament.

“It’s extremely difficult when we receive such a message at this point, so late before the tournament starts. It could lead to a buy for all the players and we have events and commitments for the sponsors, and it would be difficult to be one round without Magnus,�?Norway Chess organizer Kjell Madland told chess24.com. “It’s always a pity when these things happen, but when it does, we have to solve it in the best way possible. We are very happy to have Aryan in.�?/p>

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Magnus Carlsen comes in as the -350 favorite to win the Oslo Esports Cup, according to DraftKings Sportsbook.

Carlsen dominating Champions Chess Tour

Carlsen won the first two “regular�?events on the Champions Chess Tour this year. He’ll try to become the first player in the two years of the tour to win three consecutive events in the same season. Counting back to the 2021 tour, the World Chess Champion will be looking to win his fifth straight tournament.

The Oslo Esports Cup will award a total of $210,000 in prize money. The eight-player field will compete in a full round-robin, with each player taking on every opponent in a four-game rapid match. Should the match be tied, blitz and, potentially, an Armageddon tiebreaker will be used to determine a winner.

Each match win is worth three points. If a match goes to tiebreakers, the winner will earn two points, with the loser taking one. At the end of the tournament, the player with the most points wins. Each player also earns $2,500 per point.

To win, Carlsen will have to contend with some of the other top players on tour so far this season. Polish star �?and World Championship contender �?Jan-Krzysztof Duda (+750) earned his spot after finishing as the runner-up to Carlsen at the Charity Cup last month. Anish Giri (+750) is tied for 15th in the tour rankings, but is always a threat as one of the world’s top-ranked grandmasters.

Praggnanandhaa among Oslo Esports Cup wild cards

Le Quang Liem (+3000) and Eric Hansen (+5000) each earned spots via their overall tour performance, even if they’re unlikely to contend for first at the Oslo Esports Cup. Liem made the knockout stage in each of the first two events and has won $21,500 on tour so far. Meanwhile, popular Canadian streamer Eric Hansen proved he can hang with the world’s elite by reaching the quarterfinals of the Airthings Masters. He currently ranks eighth on tour with $11,750 in earnings.

Organizers invited the other entrants, including Giri, as wild cards. 2021 Tata Steel Masters winner Jorden van Foreest (+2000) is coming off of a quarterfinal appearance in the Charity Cup. Shakhriyar Mamedyarov (+1200) hasn’t appeared on the Champions Chess Tour this season, but ranks No. 10 in the world and has the ability to beat anyone in the field, including Carlsen.

Finally, there’s Indian youngster Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa. The 16-year-old stunned the chess world by beating Carlsen in their round-robin game in the Airthings Masters. You can’t bet on Praggnanandhaa at regulated US sites �?he’s under 18 years old, after all �?but Unibet is offering him as a +10000 long shot.

The Oslo Esports Cup is the third event of nine on the Champions Chess Tour schedule. The tour continues through November, with the final six tournaments still unnamed at this time.

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On Monday, Carlsen told Norwegian newspaper VG that he hasn’t changed his mind about not defending his championship in 2023, and that he’s still likely to walk away from the title.

Carlsen most interested in facing Firouzja

After a tense start, Carlsen easily turned away challenger Ian Nepomniachtchi last December to defend the World Chess Championship for the fourth time after initially winning it from Viswanathan Anand in 2013.

Soon thereafter, Carlsen began talking about his lack of interest in continuing to defend his title. In December, he said he would likely walk away from the title matches unless one particularly interesting opponent reached the championship.

“If someone other than [Alireza] Firouzja wins the Candidates Tournament, it is unlikely that I will play the next world championship match,�?Carlsen told reporters. “Then I think I can say that I am happy.�?/p>

If anything, Carlsen’s latest comments showed an even stronger inclination to stop dealing with the World Championship.

“I haven’t come closer to playing another match than I was before, but there also have been times when I am not 100% certain. I will make that decision later,�?Carlsen told VG. “But if there is anyone who expects and still hopes that I will say yes to playing, I will have to prepare them to be disappointed.�?/p>

Caruana, Firouzja among Candidates Tournament favorites

Carlsen has expressed an interest in winning a variety of events and attempting to break the 2900 rating barrier in classical chess. In other words, he’s seeking accomplishments outside the World Chess Championship sphere, an arena he’s already proven he can dominate.

“At some point I made a decision that I was motivated to play for the World Championship title, and that worked,�?Carlsen said. “But I felt in many ways that too much of my identity was linked to the World Championship title, and I never enjoyed that.�?/p>

Of course, Carlsen still has plenty of time to decide. The Candidates Tournament begins in June. If his decision hinges on Firouzja’s performance, then there is hope for a return. Unibet rates Firouzja as the +250 second choice to win the tournament and earn the right to challenge for the title, behind only Fabiano Caruana (+200).

Carlsen remains an imposing -400 favorite to retain the World Chess Championship if he chooses to defend. If he instead abandons the title, then it’s likely that FIDE would hold a match between the top two finishers in the Candidates Tournament to determine a new champion. Ding Liren, Kan-Krzysztof Duda, and Hikaru Nakamura will also be among the contenders in that event.

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The winner of the 2022 Candidates Tournament, which will take place in Madrid beginning on June 16, will face off against Magnus Carlsen for the World Chess Championship in 2023.

Nakamura stages comeback to beat Esipenko at Grand Prix

Nakamura and Rapport both qualified through the FIDE Grand Prix, a series of three tournaments that awarded a total of two spots in the Candidates Tournament. Initially, 24 players joined the series, with each playing two tournaments. The two players with the best overall point total �?based on their finishing positions �?earned the positions.

Rapport put himself in excellent position after reaching the semifinals of the first event in Berlin in February, then winning the second event in Belgrade. That left him in the clubhouse on 20 total points while many of the top contenders participated in the third leg, also in Berlin.

Meanwhile, Nakamura had already won the first Berlin tournament, putting himself in position to grab one of the top two spots. The American found himself facing Andrey Esipenko with Black in his final round-robin game, knowing a win would clinch first place in Pool A and send him to the semifinals.

In a highly tactical fight, Esipenko found a knight maneuver that Nakamura missed to secure an advantage. The Russian failed to convert cleanly, and Nakamura said that he had an easy time playing even in a challenging position.

“The great thing is in the position either I’m lost or I’m completely fine, but I have maybe one or two choices every move, and I just have to find a good move,�?Nakamura said afterward. “It was actually quite pleasant, in a way, because there isn’t much to do. Either I’m fine or I’m lost.�?/p>

Esipenko failed to find the win, then declined an easy draw. Instead, Esipenko blundered with Rf1 on the 35th move and resigned just three moves later after Nakamura went up an exchange in a superior position.

Rapport reaches first Candidates Tournament

That win, combined with other results in the tournament, meant that nobody can catch either Nakamura or Rapport regardless of who ultimately wins the final Grand Prix tournament.

Today's Youtube Vid: Not Caring My Way To the Candidates //t.co/4T3yk5D2ZC via @YouTube

— Hikaru Nakamura (@GMHikaru) March 28, 2022

Nakamura will now make his second Candidates Tournament appearance, having reached that stage in 2016 as well. At that time, the American finished seventh out of the eight players. The 26-year-old Rapport will play in the Candidates Tournament for the first time this year.

While online sportsbook Bwin has posted odds for the Candidates Tournament, it hasn’t listed either Nakamura or Rapport at this time. Fabiano Caruana rates as the +200 favorite, with youngster Alireza Firouzja at +250. Ian Nepomniachtchi, the last challenger to Carlsen, comes in as a +1600 long shot to go back to the title match. Bwin is offering +110 on any other player to win the tournament.

The status of Sergey Karjakin may be limiting oddsmakers’ ability to post a full listing at this time. FIDE suspended Karjakin for six months after he made repeated social media posts in favor of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The Chess Federation of Russia has appealed that decision, as it would prevent Karjakin from taking his spot in the Candidates Tournament. If Karjakin can’t play, then the highest-rated eligible player will fill that spot �?likely Ding Liren of China.

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