Vidit Gujrathi and Hikaru Nakamura finished in the top two of the star-studded field at the 2023 FIDE Grand Swiss Tournament, punching their ticket to next year’s Candidates in style.
Six players still had everything to play for heading into the final round, and in the end, it all turned into a straight shootout on the top two boards. With Nakamura’s professional draw and Vidit’s impressive victory, the world #3 and #18 topped the charts in the Isle of Man, scoring great victories along the way.
This leaves just two pieces of intrigue for 2024’s Candidates: the identity of the player who will make it via the FIDE Circuit and the highest-rated player of next January.
FIDE Grand Swiss Round 11: a day of decisive games
Heading into the final round of the super tournament, six players were still in the running for a top-two finish and the Candidates qualification spot, even if the tiebreakers meant that Germany’s Vincent Keymer and India’s Arjun Erigaisi only had an outside chance to make it even if they were able to overhaul their half-point deficit over the leaders. Keymer settled for a quick draw with Fabiano Caruana, with both players closing out a strong but ultimately disappointing event.
Tournament leader Andrey Esipenko had the tournament of his life, but he suffered a heartbreaking defeat to Anish Giri, whose successful tenure as a spoiler has now earned him a strong chance to secure a spot via the FIDE Circuit. His defeat crystallized the situation on the top board: Nakamura versus Erigaisi and Vidit versus Predke both guaranteed a Candidates spot to whoever would manage to score an outright win.
On board one, Nakamura steered the game to a draw after seeing how things panned out elsewhere in the field, and he was the first one to secure himself a Candidates berth. This marks another chapter in his continued renaissance at the highest level of play, earning back-to-back spots in the world championship qualifier event after a long period of absence.
Soon after, Vidit found the breakthrough against Predke on board two, and he went all the way for the victory even with the knowledge that a draw would earn him a joint-first finish. Instead, he became the sole winner of the 2023 FIDE Grand Swiss and joined his friend and compatriot Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa in the eight-player Candidates. Arjun Erigaisi, another one of the promising new generation of Indian players, once again fell agonizingly short after his similar near miss at the FIDE World Cup.
Intriguingly, Nijat Abasov, who will likely also feature in the Candidates should Magnus Carlsen decline his invitation as expected, ended the event on just 4.5 points and a measly 2589 tournament performance rating.
2024 Candidates Tournament: who’s in and who’s out?
The following players are confirmed for the next edition of the event that decides the world championship challenger:
- Ian Nepomniachtchi – the loser of the previous world championship match
Magnus Carlsen, Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa, Fabiano Caruana, Nijat Abasov – the top three finishers of the FIDE World Cup, with the fourth-place player taking the third spot should Carlsen decline the invitation as expected- Vidit Gujrathi, Hikaru Nakamura – the top two finishers of the 2023 FIDE Grand Swiss Tournament
- The winner of the FIDE Circuit, a system that tracks the players’ best results across the most prestigious events in the world
- The highest-rated not-qualified player on the official January 2024 rankings
While the FIDE Circuit’s actual winner is Fabiano Caruana, he already secured himself a spot via the World Cup, leaving Anish Giri as the frontrunner after his strong showing in the Grand Swiss, chased by Gukesh D and Wesley So. As for the top-rated spot, Alireza Firouzja still maintains a ten-point lead over Giri and So despite a poor showing at this event.
With So, Giri, and Firouzja all confirmed for the 2023 Saint Louis Rapid & Blitz and the Sinquefield Cup, it’s clear that their showdown will make for an incredible way to head into the last month of the year, where the World Rapid and Blitz Championships will serve as the last meaningful way to make up points in the FIDE Circuit, should there still be anything to play for when it comes to Candidates qualification.
