Russia (bbabo.net), - The first of three FIDE Grand Prix tournaments is coming to an end in Berlin. The price of success is very high - the two winners of the series will take part in the Candidates Tournament for the World Crown.
Recall that in total 24 chess players will play in the Grand Prix, 16 participants at each stage, a victory in the tournament gives 13 points in the overall standings. The winners in four groups will determine the winner by knockout system.
In Berlin, the Armenian grandmaster Levon Aronian, the Americans Leinier Dominguez and Hikaru Nakamura, as well as the Hungarian Richard Rapport took part in the semi-final stage.
But what about the reigning world champion Magnus Carlsen? The illustrious Norwegian is now completely engrossed in Olympic broadcasts from Beijing.
According to the Norwegian, he watches live broadcasts of cross-country skiing, biathlon with great interest, where his compatriots are still ahead of the rest, and Magnus is also waiting for the team tournament at ski jumpers.
"The Olympics is a time when you want to be one with the sport you watch. Cheer on your favorite athletes. Everything else takes a back seat these Olympic days. A wonderful time, and I know well how to have a great time with TV. Although, of course, I also follow the Grand Prix in Berlin. This information will definitely not bother me," Carlsen said with a smile in an interview with Norwegian journalists.
Meanwhile, the International Chess Federation (FIDE) is considering hosting a major international tournament in Cuba in 2026.
About this in an interview with TASS, the president of the organization Arkady Dvorkovich:
- In 1966, Cuba hosted the World Chess Olympiad, which was attended by all the strongest players at that time. There is an idea in 2026, the year of the 60th anniversary of the Olympiad, to hold something serious here. The Olympiad itself is a rather expensive event, so I'm not sure that it will be possible to organize it, but some beautiful chess tournament is possible.
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