2023 World Chess Championship will crown a new world champion since 2013 in Astana, Kazakhstan this April-May.
The International Chess Federation (FIDE), finally revealed the venue and prize pool of 2023 World Chess Championship less than three months before it is scheduled to begin. 2022 Candidates winner, Ian Nepomniachtchi and 2022 Candidates runner-up, Ding Liren will fight for the crown in Astana, Kazakhstan from April 7 until May 1, 2023.
The total prize fund is €2 million, the same as it was in 2021. The prize fun allocates 60% (€1.2 million) to the winner and 40% (€800K) to the loser. The format is a 14-game match and the rapid games system will determine tiebreakers.
FIDE drops location three months before World Chess Championship
In early January, less than three months away from the World Chess Championship, there was a concerning lack of info. FIDE had not announced the venue, prize fund, or sponsors of the event. In contrast, the previous World Championships had announced details up to a year before the event begins.
This led to a heated reaction from the community. GothamChess, one of the most popular chess personalities, even voiced out his frustrations regarding the lack of communication from FIDE.
FIDE’s representative accepted the criticism and explained the difficulty of finding a reliable co-host to organize the event. The late announcement was also due to FIDE working to restore the calendar that was affected by the pandemic. “We had a much tighter timeframe to work this time” she stated.
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We will see a new world champion after a decade
For the first time in 10 years, the world will see a new chess world champion since Magnus Carlsen. In 2023, the crown will go to either the Russian GM, Ian Nepomniachtchi, or the Chinese GM, Ding Liren.
Magnus Carlsen had been on the throne since 2013 when he defeated then-champion Viswanathan Anand. Carlsen then successfully defended his title against Anand in 2014, Sergey Karjakin in 2016, Fabiano Caruana in 2018, and Ian Nepomniachtchi in 2021.
However, this year the Norwegian 5-time champion decided to not defend his title. He was supposed to play against Ian Nepomniachtchi, who won the 2022 Candidates Tour convincingly but stepped down after a loss of motivation. After Carlsen officially stepped down, FIDE invited the runner-up of the Candidates Tour, Ding Liren, to fill in the vacant seat in the 2023 World Chess Championship.
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