BAKU, Azerbaijan, August 20. The Candidates Tournament is a very important competition for chess players, Azerbaijani chess player Nijat Abasov told reporters after the second game of the semi-final in the men's section of the World Chess Cup in Baku, Trend reports.
Azerbaijani chess player Nijat Abasov played the second game of the semi-finals in the men's section of the World Chess Cup in Baku with his opponent Magnus Carlsen (Norway) in a draw. Abasov lost the first game the day before. The total score of the match Magnus Carlsen - Nijat Abasov is 1.5-0.5 in favor of the Norwegian chess player. Now Nijat Abasov will have a match for third place at the World Chess Cup in Baku, the first game of which will take place on August 22.
"In the match for third place at the World Chess Cup in Baku, my opponent is still unknown. In this game, I will try my best to finish the Cup in the third position," he said.
In his interviews, Magnus Carlsen has repeatedly said that if there are no changes in the Candidates Tournament system, he will refuse to participate.
According to Nijat Abasov, based on this, regardless of the result of the match for third place, players get a chance to participate in the Candidates Tournament.
"I hope I don't need it and win the match for third place. But in any case, the Candidates Tournament is a very important competition for chess players, and getting a ticket to it is very nice," Abasov stressed.
Speaking in general about his game at the World Cup, Abasov noted that he expected a good result from himself, but did not think that he would reach the semi-finals and would play a match with the ex-world champion.
The participants of the World Cup, who, according to the results of two classical games, drew with their opponents, will meet on August 21 in a tie-break.
The starting list of the Chess World Cup of the International Chess Federation (FIDE) in Baku included 206 chess players in the open section and 103 - in the women's section. The World Chess Cup is being held in Azerbaijan for the second time. For the first time, three best players from both open and women's sections will qualify for the Candidates Tournament 2024.
The games of the FIDE World Cup 2023 will be broadcast on the official website of the competition in Azerbaijani and English languages. The tournament will continue until August 25. The prize fund of the Cup is set at $2 million.
The World Chess Cup takes place at the Marriott Boulevard in Baku.