BAKU, Azerbaijan, August 20. The Candidates
Tournament is a very important competition for chess players,
Azerbaijani chess player Nijat Abasov told reporters after the
second game of the semi-final in the men’s section of the World
Chess Cup in Baku, Trend reports.
Azerbaijani chess player Nijat Abasov played the second game of
the semi-finals in the men’s section of the World Chess Cup in Baku
with his opponent Magnus Carlsen (Norway) in a draw. Abasov lost
the first game the day before. The total score of the match Magnus
Carlsen – Nijat Abasov is 1.5-0.5 in favor of the Norwegian chess
player. Now Nijat Abasov will have a match for third place at the
World Chess Cup in Baku, the first game of which will take place on
August 22.
“In the match for third place at the World Chess Cup in Baku, my
opponent is still unknown. In this game, I will try my best to
finish the Cup in the third position,” he said.
In his interviews, Magnus Carlsen has repeatedly said that if
there are no changes in the Candidates Tournament system, he will
refuse to participate.
According to Nijat Abasov, based on this, regardless of the
result of the match for third place, players get a chance to
participate in the Candidates Tournament.
“I hope I don’t need it and win the match for third place. But
in any case, the Candidates Tournament is a very important
competition for chess players, and getting a ticket to it is very
nice,” Abasov stressed.
Speaking in general about his game at the World Cup, Abasov
noted that he expected a good result from himself, but did not
think that he would reach the semi-finals and would play a match
with the ex-world champion.
The participants of the World Cup, who, according to the results
of two classical games, drew with their opponents, will meet on
August 21 in a tie-break.
The starting list of the Chess World Cup of the International
Chess Federation (FIDE) in Baku included 206 chess players in the
open section and 103 – in the women’s section. The World Chess Cup
is being held in Azerbaijan for the second time. For the first
time, three best players from both open and women’s sections will
qualify for the Candidates Tournament 2024.
The games of the FIDE World Cup 2023 will be broadcast on the
official website of the competition in Azerbaijani and English
languages. The tournament will continue until August 25. The prize
fund of the Cup is set at $2 million.
The World Chess Cup takes place at the Marriott Boulevard in
Baku.
