Challenger Matches 2011

The rules of the competition to determine the applicant for the match with Anand changed several times. Initially, it was planned that the winner of the match of the winners of the World Cup 2009 and the Grand Prix of 2008-2009 plays a match for the title of world champion ^[1] . Subsequently, the number of participants in the contest of applicants was increased to 8 ^[2] , despite the fact that a series of Grand Prix tournaments had already been launched. This led to strong protests among the players ^{[3] [4] [5]} and the organization of the PSA ^[6] . The method of the competition was also not defined, a round-robin tournament or matches by the Knockout system ^{[7] were} possible, which was chosen.

• The player who lost the final match of the applicants in March 2009.
• 2009 World Cup Winner.
• Loser of the 2010 World Champion match.
• The two players who scored the maximum number of points in the 2008–2009 Grand Prix tournament series.
• Two players with the highest average ELO rating from the lists for July 2009 and January 2010 (with the exception of those who qualified for the upcoming tournaments).
• One participant will be nominated by the organizer of the competition, with an ELO rating of at least 2700 as of January 2010.

A refused participant will be replaced by a participant from the 2008-2009 Grand Prix.

Failure of Magnus Carlsen

In early November 2010, Magnus Carlsen in a letter addressed to the President of the International Chess Federation (FIDE) Kirsan Ilyumzhinov , announced the decision to refuse to participate in the world title ^[8] .

Explaining why he decided not to fight for the championship title, Carlsen stated that “after a long analysis” he came to the conclusion that the current system of his rally was not enough “modern and fair”, and pointed out several shortcomings: excessive duration (champion cycle stretched for 5 years - from 2008 to 2012), amendments to its rules after the start of the draw, “confused” criteria for calculating the rating, as well as the format of the candidate tournament itself, providing for performance in three stages poison matches, which does not provide opportunities for preparing for the most important fights and maintaining the optimal form during the fight for the title.

Separately, Magnus Carlsen mentioned the privilege granted to the title holder to participate in the next match for him without selection. From the point of view of the Norwegian, she is superfluous: “It is as if the winner of the 2010 World Cup automatically qualified for the finals of the 2014 World Cup.” Carlsen wrote that in the future, the model of the champion’s title should be based on a “fair fight between the best chess players in the world” without any privileges to one of them. In particular, as an option, he noted the already held twice FIDE - in 2005 and 2007 - championship tournaments.

The FIDE reacted calmly to the news of Magnus Carlsen’s refusal, President Kirsan Ilyumzhinov pointed out that the existing world championship system was built on the basis of consultations with players, sponsors and organizers, as well as the fact that the current system worked clearly: Grand Prix, Cup world, candidate tournament, title match ^[9] .

Stage One (8 Players)

• The loser of the world title will be seeded at number 1.
• Subsequent players will be seeded in January 2010 rankings.

Pairs are formed as follows:

• No. 1 plays against No. 8 (match No. 1)
• No. 2 - No. 7 (match No. 2)
• No. 3 - No. 6 (match No. 3)
• No. 4 - No. 5 (match No. 4)

Each match consists of 4 games. 4 match winners go to the next stage. In the event of a tie, the fate of the matches is decided by the tie-break. On a tie-break, at first 4 games are held with a control of 25 minutes + 10 seconds per turn. If they do not identify the winner, then the opponents play a series of 2 blitz games with a control of 5 minutes + 3 seconds per move. If 5 such series in a row ends in a draw, then the decisive game (Armageddon) will be played, in which White gets 5 minutes, Black gets 4 minutes, after the 61st move 3 seconds are added to each side per move, in case of a tie the overall victory is awarded to the player who plays black .

Stage Two (4 Players)

The second stage will begin two days after the end of the first. Each qualified player can only be replaced by a player who loses to him in the first stage.

• The winner of the first match meets the winner of the fourth.
• The second and the third.

Each match consists of 4 games. 2 match winners go to the next stage.

Stage Three (2 Players)

The third stage will begin two days after the end of the second. Each qualified player can be replaced only by the player who lost to him in the second stage. The match consists of 6 games. The winner qualifies for the world title match.

• Players Arrival / Opening Ceremony

Gaming days: quarter-final - May 5-8 (main games), May 9 (tie-break), semi-final - May 12-15 (main games), May 16 (tie-break), final - 19-21, May 23-25 ​​(main games) ), May 26 (tie-break).
Weekends: May 10, 11, 17, 18, 22.

The first and second stages

• 1st round
• 2nd round
• 3rd round
• 4th round
• tie-break
• two days of rest

Third Stage

• 1st round
• 2nd round
• 3rd round
• holiday
• 4th round
• 5th round
• 6th round
• tie-break / closing ceremony

The competition schedule may only be changed after approval by the FIDE President.

• The draw of color will occur during the opening ceremony.
• For tie-breaks, the main referee of each match.

• At the stage of quarter-finals and semi-finals, matches consist of 4 games with time control of 120 minutes for the first 40 moves, 60 minutes for the next 20 moves and 15 minutes until the end of the game, with the addition of 30 seconds for each move made starting from the 61st.

In the final, 6 games are played.

• 4 players who lose in the first stage receive (at least) 30,000 euros each.
• 2 losers in the second stage receive (at least) 60,000 euros each.
• The minimum prize pool for the final match is 180,000 euros, which will be divided equally.

The total minimum prize pool for the matches of the applicants is 420,000 euros.

Quarter Final

Semifinal

Final

• Official site
• Tournament information on The Week in Chess
• Rules & regulations for the Candidates Matches of the FIDE World Championship cycle 2009-2011