The Candidates is called the hardest chess event, with eight of the world’s finest gamers competing in a league system over two weeks for a shot on the World Championship title. The winner-take-all format is what makes the Candidates distinctive – and brutal.
Just one Indian man has ever taken half on this event earlier than: Viswanathan Anand, who grew to become a five-time World Champion. This time, we now have 5 Indians – three males and two girls – all besides Koneru Humpy making their debut.
With the event itself a lot of a thriller, we requested Anand to clarify simply what makes it so robust.
‘Profitable is rather more vital than second place’
“On the face of it, it isn’t totally different in any respect from any high elite event with the identical gamers,” Anand tells ESPN. “It is barely longer than the norm as a result of it is eight gamers, a double-round-robin format which involves 14 video games. You get to play with black and white items. That is not that frequent today. In any other case, there is no such thing as a actual distinction. And for those who strategy it like there is no such thing as a actual distinction, that is a reasonably cheap technique.”
However that is simply on the floor. “There may be clearly an enormous prize right here. Profitable is a lot extra vital than second place. Usually you are amassing score factors or circuit factors or one thing. On the Candidates, that is it: that is what you’ve got been amassing the factors for. Truthfully, for those who omit first place, I feel most gamers would not care in the event that they end second or seventh. That is the large distinction, that there’s a big prize to play for,” he says.
There’s a prize – the possibility to face off in opposition to the reigning champion – but additionally a value to pay. The worth you pay is all of the work you’ve got put in in the direction of qualifying for the Candidates over the past two years and for those who do not win, then all that goes to nought and it’s a must to hit the reset button. It comes with a harsh dose of actuality.
“On the finish of the day, to a point, nobody will actually care [about finishing 2nd or 8th]. There may be some prize cash and a few FIDE circuit factors, however that is a bit like saying I am going to acquire factors in the direction of competing in the identical occasion once more.
“That is the place you need to do nicely. Each time you miss a World Championship or do not qualify for one, you’ve got misplaced one other two or three years. So the occasion does take quite a bit out of individuals. Your psychology is vital. Additionally, it is one in every of these occasions the place it’s a must to do nicely now, you’ll be able to’t right it. It’s important to do nicely when it comes by.”
‘The psychological strain is big’
The Candidates is not for the weak-hearted, the strain you face in a event with such excessive stakes might be overwhelming, even for the elite of the game. Anand recollects how Fabio Caruana, who gained the 2018 Candidates in commanding vogue, slipped up within the subsequent version in 2020.
“I’ve seen even the greats [face the pressure] – Caruana certified fairly simply in 2018. Now I would not say “simply”, but it surely appeared very dominant. However in 2020, it appeared like issues weren’t going his approach. From the skin, it appeared like he was attempting his finest to impress a battle, something to get a win – barely the act of a determined particular person. After which it went unsuitable and he didn’t qualify.”
“Then you definately see that these gamers then lose two or three as a result of there’s a lot disappointment. That psychological strain is big. Famously, Magnus and Kramnik misplaced their final video games [in their bid] to qualify for that match in opposition to me. [Magnus Carlsen and Vladimir Kramnik were equal on 8 ½ points going into the final round and both had a chance to win the 2013 Candidates, but both ended up losing. Carlsen was declared the winner as he had more wins, and he would go on to beat Anand for the World Championship title.]”
‘It’s totally arduous to arrange for the Candidates’
Plus, get off to a foul begin and you will know quickly sufficient that you have fallen approach behind the main pack. However that is the place your strategy comes into play, as Anand factors out.
“The strain is in your head. You notice there’s one thing huge now. If in some unspecified time in the future, within the second half of the event, you notice that you’ve got an actual likelihood, then the strain will increase. You begin to consider it extra. You begin to assume what may go unsuitable. You are placing strain on your self as nicely. You understand the prize. You understand that for those who win, you’ll be able to return and everybody’s eyes shall be on you – the stakes are very, very excessive.
“You’ll be able to separate it: say “I’ll play the primary few rounds and settle in after which see the way it goes”. Or for those who’re very assured, you’ll be able to go for broke firstly. However I feel the worth of failure may be very excessive. I imply, you begin with two or three defeats, most likely you’ve got dominated out first place, which then makes the entire event a little bit of a drag. I feel it is solely that which separates [it from other tournaments].”
The Candidates is accompanied by an added layer of complexity: it comes round solely as soon as in two years and it’s a must to deal with it otherwise as a result of it’s good to put together for seven totally different opponents.
“It’s totally arduous to arrange as a result of these occasions do not come alongside yearly. It is each two years and it was even longer earlier. It is a kind of issues you’ll be able to’t prepare an excessive amount of for, however for those who’ve been taking part in for the World Championship cycle, that is already your second or at the least your third occasion. For those who win this, you play the World Championship. So you’ve got a sense of getting invested quite a lot of effort and time on this. And that once more places quite a lot of strain. However on the board, there is no such thing as a obvious cause why it needs to be totally different.”
‘Routine is every thing’
One of many hardest elements of the Candidates is that you simply’re taking part in constantly for 3 weeks. Continuous high-intensity chess in opposition to the world’s finest. It turns into a lot extra vital in such a scenario to have the ability to keep mentally contemporary, particularly when outcomes do not go your approach and one dangerous transfer may see you lose the board.
“It is a routine. You are used to it. You’ve got performed at many, many tournaments the place you play 4 or 5 video games and not using a relaxation day and you then get a relaxation day after which factor and you then’re used to that.
“[As a player] you already know that. I at all times divided these tournaments into blocks. “Okay, until the subsequent relaxation day I’ll do that after which I am going to determine it out after that”. That approach I am separating the duties. Totally different individuals have totally different strategies, however they’re used to their strategies. However take into account that the Candidates could have some further X-factor, which is able to play in your head and also you should not underestimate it. You should not worry it as a result of you’ll be able to’t management it, however being conscious of it’s useful.”