With the World Champion Magnus Carlsen decision not to defend his title , the 2023 FIDE World Championship is entering in a backup mode. Ding Lieren, who was the replacement of Sergey Karjakin for the Candidates Chess 2022, will now replace Magnus Carlsen and face the winner of the Candidates Ian Nepomniachtchi. The match is scheduled for April 2023.
But what happens if Ding Liren or Ian Nepomniachtchi are unwilling or unable to play? Emil Sutovsky, FIDE’s Director General, revealed that Teimour Radjabov, as a bronze medalist in the Candidates is next in line. However, if he declines or further replacements are needed, the January 2023 rating list will be taken into consideration. Therefore, a player not part of the Candidates could potentially play in the FIDE World Chess Championship 2023. This was confirmed by Emil Sutovsky himself, who in a recent interview noted, “We didn’t actually approve the regulations for the World Chess Championship Match 2023 and we are still having quite a bit of time to decide and to finalize them”.
Timeline of events
March 21, 2022 Karjakin banned from FIDE competitions
March 21, 2022 Replacement procedure for Karjakin announced
March 27, 2022 Ding Liren starts his quest for Candidates
April 24, 2022 Ding Liren completes the requirements for Candidates Tournament
July 4, 2022 Ding Liren defeats Nakamura in the last round, secures second place in the Candidates
July 4, 2022 Radjabov secures third place in the Candidates
July 4, 2022 Magnus Carlsen negotiates the format of the World Chess Championship Match
July 5, 2022 FIDE Director-General: We will have a decision for the World Championship Match by July 20
July 20, 2022 Magnus Carlsen announces he will not defend his World Champion title
July 26, 2022 Ding Liren – Nepomniachtchi 2023 replacement procedure clarified
