World Cup 2023 in Baku
Der World Cup 2023 wird vom 29. Juli bis 26. August in Baku/Aserbaidschan stattfinden. Das hat nach Angaben des aserbaidschanischen Verbands die FIDE beschlossen. Schon 2015 war Baku Austragungsort des Wettbewerbs gewesen, der in diesem WM-Zyklus drei Weltmeisterschaftskandidaten hervorbringen wird.
Aus deutscher Sicht sind bislang Daniel Fridman, Niclas Huschenbeth, Rasmus Svane, Vincent Keymer und Europameister Matthias Blübaum qualifiziert. Diesem Quintett und möglichen weiteren Qualifikanten von der Europameisterschaft im März droht ein Terminkonflikt. Der Schachgipfel mit dem „Masters” der besten deutschen Spielerinnen und Spieler, angesetzt bis zum 30. Juli, überschneidet sich mit der WM-Qualifikation.
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The event has seen its combined prize pool boosted to a whopping USD 2.5 million, the single largest one at any chess event in the world.
The knock-out chess extravaganza, held every two years, will celebrate its 10th edition in Baku, Azerbaijan, from 30 July to 24 August 2023. The opening ceremony is scheduled for July 29th and all the first round matches will be played on the 30th.
146 of the 206 participants in the World Cup 2023 in Baku, and 71 of the 103 Women’s World Cup participants, have already been confirmed. The field will be completed between June 15-30, at the conclusion of the Zonal tournaments and the period that eligible federations have been given to submit their nominations.
Photo: Lennart Ootes
The list is headed once again by world number one Magnus Carlsen. Despite being a firm supporter of knock-out tournaments, a victory in the World Cup is one of the few titles still missing from Magnus’ impressive track record, and this is probably a strong incentive for the former World Champion. His best result so far was in Sochi 2021, where he impressed the fans with some spectacular games (like his two victories over Fedoseev), but he was knocked out in the semifinals by Jan-Krzysztof Duda, winner of the event.
The second seed will be no other than the runner-up in the two last World Championship matches and twice winner of the Candidates Tournament, Ian Nepomniachtchi. “Nepo” could only reach the fourth round in his last participation, in Khanty-Mansiysk 2019, where he was knocked out by Yu Yangyi, and decided to skip Sochi 2021 in order to focus on his preparation for the match in Dubai.
Photo: Lennart Ootes
Fabiano Caruana, Anish Giri, Wesley So, and Maxime Vachier Lagrave are next on the list, followed by the two local stars Teimur Radjabov and Shakhriyar Mamedyarov. Radjabov won the World Cup in his last participation, Khanty-Mansiysk 2019. With the extra motivation of playing on home turf, he will surely be a very serious contender for the title.
The tenth seed is 17-year-old Gukesh Dommaraju of India, who leads the pack of up-and-coming young prodigies, in which we also find Nodirbek Abdusattorov (18 years old, 14th in the starting list), Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa (17 years old, 25th seed), and Vincent Keymer (18 years old, 26th).
The top-seeded in the Women’s World Cup will be Humpy Koneru of India. Despite losing some rating points during the past year, Koneru is still the number two player in the world rankings, only behind the semi-retired Hou Yifan and just one point ahead of the reigning World Champion Ju Wenjun.
Photo: Ismael Nieto
The participation of Ju Wenjun in the Women’s World Cup will be one of the highlights of the competition. It wasn’t clear if she would accept the challenge, and she is set to defend her title in the weeks before the World Cup, from July 5-25, against her countrywomen Lei Tingjie. It remains to be seen if Ju will arrive in Baku as the reigning World Champion or right after being dethroned, but either way and despite the foreseeable tiredness after the match, she will surely be one of the main contenders for victory.
Aleksandra Goryachkina, Kateryna Lagno, and the defending Women’s World Cup Champion, Alexandra Kosteniuk, complete the top-5 seeds for the event. They are followed by Tan Zhongyi, Mariya Muzychuk, Harika Dronavalli, Nana Dzagnidze, and Anna Muzychuk. The highest-rated local player will be 22-year-old Gunay Mammadzada (pictured below).
Photo: Mark Livshitz
The World Cup is one of FIDE’s flagship competitions, and in recent editions, it has clearly become one of the most followed events in the chess calendar. This reflects FIDE’s efforts to expand the competition, increasing the variety of qualification paths and the number of represented countries (estimated at 50 for the 2023 edition) while drastically decreasing the number of wild cards.
With 206 players in the open section, plus 103 in the Women’s competition, this event has seen its combined prize pool boosted to a whopping USD 2.5 million, the single largest one at any chess event in the world.
For many players, the World Cup is the first and only opportunity to enter the race for the World Championship crown since the three top finishers in the event will advance to the next stage: the super exclusive Candidates Tournament. This means one more spot than in the previous edition, Sochi 2021, where only the finalists would qualify: in Baku, the winner of the match for 3rd/4th place will also get the coveted invitation for the Candidates, which adds some extra excitement to this already thrilling competition.
Lists of players confirmed as of June 12, 2023:
Carlsen wird spielen, Karjakin nicht:
Carlsen drin, Karjakin draußen, Wagner hofft: World Cup 2023
Die World-Cup-Website ist online:
Die FIDE meldet:
FIDE World Cup, held every two years, will celebrate its 10th edition in Baku, Azerbaijan, from 30 July to 24 August 2023.
With 206 players in the open section, plus 103 in the Women’s competition, this event has seen its combined prize pool boosted to a whopping USD 2.5 million, the single largest one at any chess event in the world.
For many players, the World Cup is the first and only opportunity to enter the race for the World Championship crown since the three top finishers in the event will advance to the next stage: the super exclusive Candidates Tournament. This means one more spot than in the previous edition, Sochi 2021, where only the finalists would qualify: in Baku, the winner of the match for 3rd/4th place will also get the coveted invitation for the Candidates, which adds some extra excitement to this already thrilling competition.
The rating favourites of the open event are the #1 in FIDE July 2023 rating list Magnus Carlsen (Norway, 2835), Hikaru Nakamura (USA, 2787; received a wild card), Fabiano Caruana (USA, 2782), Ian Nepomniachtchi (FIDE, 2779), Anish Giri (Netherlands, 2775), Wesley So (USA, 2769), Teimour Radjabov (Azerbaijan, 2747), Gukesh D (India, 2744), Shakhriyar Mamedyarov (Azerbaijan, 2742), Maxime Vachier-Lagrave (France, 2739) alongside many other well-known chess players from all over the world.
The FIDE Women’s World Cup will feature the reigning champion Ju Wenjun (China, 2564), the 2020 Challenger Aleksandra Goryachkina (FIDE, 2557), Humpy Koneru (India, 2553), Kateryna Lagno (FIDE, 2552), Alexandra Kosteniuk (Switzerland, 2523), Tan Zhongyi (China, 2523), Nana Dzagnidze (Georgia, 2511), the Ukrainians Mariya and Anna Muzychuk (2511 and 2504, respectively), and many other chess stars.
Most top players in both competitions have a bye in the first round, but we still have some exciting matchups.
Looking further into the draw, we can spot some interesting potential clashes. In the open event, Magnus Carlsen has a relatively easy draw up to the Round of 32 in which he most likely (provided he beats his compatriot in Aryan Tari in the Round of 64) will face either Amin Tabatabaei or Vincent Keymer.
Moving down, we see a couple of possible high-profile battles Abdusattorov – Korobov and Ivanchuk – Wei Y and two duels of youngsters Sarin – Deac and Shevchenko – Sarana as early as in Round 3.
The second-seeded Hikaru Nakamura can meet Carlsen only in the final, but most likely, he will have his first serious test in Round 3, taking on up-and-coming Nodirbek Yakubboev.
In the women’s event, there are several potential exciting confrontations in Round 3: Assaubayeva – Paehtz, the Ukrainian derby Anna Muzychuk – Anna Ushenina, Krush – Shuvalova, Zhao Xue – Batsiashvili (although the former will have to see off very talented Carissa Yip first).
Since two top seeds, Ju Wenjun Aleksandra Goryachkina, have easy early rounds, it is interesting to see whether they will make it all the way to the final to set a repeat of their 2020 title match.
The World Cup is one of FIDE’s flagship competitions, and in recent editions, it has clearly become one of the most followed events in the chess calendar. It reflects FIDE’s efforts to expand the competition, increasing the variety of qualification paths and the number of represented countries.
List of players for the Open Section (highlighted the 50 players BYE in Round 1)
Pairings for Open Section Round 1
List of players for the Women Section (highlighed the 25 players BYE in Round 1)
Pairings for Women Section Round 1
Official website: worldcup2023.fide.com/
FIDE World Cup: Deutschland mit Rekordaufgebot dabei
29. Juli 2023
Am Sonntag, dem 30. Juli, starten in Baku in Aserbaidschan der FIDE World Cup und der FIDE Women’s World Cup. Fast einen Monat lang treffen dann die besten Schachspielerinnen und Schachspieler der Welt jeweils in einem K.-o.-Turnier aufeinander. Mit Magnus Carlsen, Hikaru Nakamura und Fabiano Caruana gehen im offenen Turnier die Nummer eins, zwei und drei der Welt und an den Start, dazu kommen drei weitere Top-Ten-Spieler. Bei den Frauen sind sogar acht Spielerinnen aus den Top-Ten dabei, darunter Weltmeisterin Ju Wenjun, Aleksandra Goryachkina und Humpy Koneru. Auch die beiden Sieger der letzten World Cups im Jahr 2021, Jan-Krzysztof Duda und Alexandra Kosteniuk, werden versuchen, ihre Titel zu verteidigen. Die drei Erstplatzierten qualifizieren sich für das jeweilige WM-Kandidatenturnier. Der Preisfonds für beide Turniere zusammen beträgt 2,5 Millionen US-Dollar.
Deutsche Teilnehmerinnen & Teilnehmer
| Name | Turnier | Elo | Qualifikation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vincent Keymer | Offen | 2690 | Einzel-EM 2021 |
| Mattias Blübaum | Offen | 2672 | Einzel-EM 2021 |
| Alexander Donchenko | Offen | 2668 | Einzel-EM 2023 |
| Rasmus Svane | Offen | 2625 | Einzel-EM 2021 |
| Frederik Svane | Offen | 2618 | Einzel-EM 2023 |
| Dmitrij Kollars | Offen | 2618 | Wild Card DSB |
| Niclas Huschenbeth | Offen | 2603 | Einzel-EM 2021 |
| Daniel Fridman | Offen | 2586 | Einzel-EM 2021 |
| Elisabeth Pähtz | Frauen | 2471 | Wildcard DSB |
Aus Deutschland starten Vincent Keymer, Matthias Blübaum, Alexander Donchenko, Frederik Svane, Rasmus Svane, Dmitrij Kollars, Niclas Huschenbeth und Daniel Fridman im offenen Turnier sowie Elisabeth Pähtz bei den Frauen. Es ist damit das bisher größte deutsche Aufgebot in der Geschichte der beiden Turniere. Keymer, Blübaum, Donchenko und Pähtz erhalten aufgrund ihrer Setzlistenplätze ein Freilos für die erste Runde.
Vincent Keymer könnte es in der 4. Runde in Person von Magnus Carlsen mit dem ersten ihm nach Elo überlegenen Gegner zu tun kriegen. Auf Alexander Donchenko, Rasmus Svane, Matthias Blübaum, Frederik Svane, Dmitrij Kollars und Niclas Huschenbeth warten mit Parham Maghsoodloo, Shakhriyar Mamedyarov, Vidit Gujrathi, Jan-Krzysztof Duda, Quang Liem Le und Praggnanandhaa schon in der 3. Runde die ersten 2700er. Das härteste Los hat vermutlich Daniel Fridman: Nikita Vitiugov wäre nach einem Auftaktsieg sein Gegner in Runde 2.
Mit Bibissara Assaubajewa erwartet Elisabeth Pähtz in der 3. Runde die erste gleichwertige Gegnerin, bevor sie in der nächsten Runde direkt auf Weltmeisterin Ju Wenjun treffen könnte.
OA HedlundVincent Keymer - Kai Späte
Matthias Blübaum - DSB/Arne Jachmann
Alexander Donchenko - DSB/Arne Jachmann
Rasmus Svane - DSB/Arne Jachmann
Frederik Svane - DSB/Arne Jachmann
Dmitrij Kollars - DSB/Arne Jachmann
Niclas Huschenbeth - Kai Späte
Daniel Fridman - OA Hedlund
Elisabeth Pähtz
Auftaktpartien
| R. | Spieler:in | Gegner:in | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rasmus Svane | vs. | Prin Laohawirapap |
| 1 | Frederik Svane | vs. | Hyeok Lee Jun |
| 1 | Dmitrij Kollars | vs. | Enamul Hossain |
| 1 | Niclas Huschenbeth | vs. | Fy Antenaina Rakotomaharo |
| 1 | Daniel Fridman | vs. | Stamatis Kourkoulos-Arditis |
| 2 | Vincent Keymer | vs. | Daniel Dardha / Kevin Goh Wei Ming |
| 2 | Matthias Blübaum | vs. | Tu Tran Thanh / David Paravyan |
| 2 | Alexander Donchenko | vs. | Mateusz Bartel / Hesham Abdel-Rahman |
| 2 | Elisabeth Pähtz | vs. | Nataliya Buksa / Turmunkh Munkhzul |
Modus
- K.-o.-System
- Jedes Match dauert maximal drei Tage.
- Bei jedem Match wird zunächst an den ersten beiden Tagen jeweils eine klassische Partie gespielt.
- Die Bedenkzeit beträgt dabei 90 Minuten für die ersten 40 Züge, zusätzlich 30 Minuten für den Rest und 30 Sekunden Inkrement pro Zug ab dem ersten Zug.
- Falls nötig wird am dritten Tag ein Tie-Break gespielt:
1.) 2 Partien mit 25 Minuten und 10 Sekunden zusätzlich pro Zug ab Zug 1 (25+10)
2.) kein Sieger → 2 Partien mit 10+10
3.) kein Sieger → 2 Partien mit 5+3
4.) kein Sieger → 1 weitere Partie mit 5+3 bis zur ersten gewonnenen Partie
Zeitplan
| Tag | Datum | Uhrzeit | Runde Offen | Runde Frauen | Partie |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sonntag | 30.07. | 15:00 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Montag | 31.07. | 15:00 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Dienstag | 01.08. | 15:00 | 1 | 1 | Tie-Break |
| Mittwoch | 02.08. | 15:00 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| Donnerstag | 03.08. | 15:00 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Freitag | 04.08. | 15:00 | 2 | 2 | Tie-Break |
| Samstag | 05.08. | 15:00 | 3 | 3 | 1 |
| Sonntag | 06.08. | 15:00 | 3 | 3 | 2 |
| Montag | 07.08. | 15:00 | 3 | 3 | Tie-Break |
| Dienstag | 08.08. | Ruheteag | Ruheteag | ||
| Mittwoch | 09.08. | 15:00 | 4 | 4 | 1 |
| Donnerstag | 10.08. | 15:00 | 4 | 4 | 2 |
| Freitag | 11.08. | 15:00 | 4 | 4 | Tie-Break |
| Samstag | 12.08. | 15:00 | 5 | 5 | 1 |
| Sonntag | 13.08. | 15:00 | 5 | 5 | 2 |
| Montag | 14.08. | 15:00 | 5 | 5 | Tie-Break |
| Dienstag | 15.08. | 15:00 | 6 | 6 | 1 |
| Mittwoch | 16.08. | 15:00 | 6 | 6 | 2 |
| Donnerstag | 17.08. | 15:00 | 6 | 6 | Tie-Break |
| Freitag | 18.08. | Ruhetag | Ruhetag | ||
| Samstag | 19.08. | 15:00 | 7 | Finale & Spiel um Platz 3 | 1 |
| Sonntag | 20.08. | 15:00 | 7 | Finale & Spiel um Platz 3 | 2 |
| Montag | 21.08. | 15:00 | 7 | Finale & Spiel um Platz 3 | Tie-Break |
| Dienstag | 22.08. | 15:00 | Finale & Spiel um Platz 3 | 1 | |
| Mittwoch | 23.08. | 15:00 | Finale & Spiel um Platz 3 | 2 | |
| Donnerstag | 24.08. | 15:00 | Finale & Spiel um Platz 3 | Tie-Break |
