FIDE Alters the Qualification Scheme for the 2020 Candidates; Adds a Swiss Event **UPDATED**
Seven-eighths of the qualification procedure remains in place for the next Candidates event, which will take place in 2020. Fabiano Caruana is still qualified as the loser of the last World Championship match, and as far as we know there will be two World Cup qualifiers, two Grand Prix qualifiers, a wildcard selected by the organizer(s) of the Candidates event, and one qualifier by rating.
That's one, as in only one. Previously two players qualified that way, but now one of those spots will go to the winner of a 11-round Swiss system event to be held later this year, open to the top 100 players by rating. In the event of a tie for first there will not be a playoff; instead, tiebreaks will be used starting with TPR. (In general, this is one of the fairer tiebreak methods - but in a field that's likely to be as balanced by rating as this one, the difference is going to be pretty random. If player A's TPR is just a couple of rating points different, that's much more noise than signal. I think head-to-head should come first, but why not have a playoff?)
Looking at some of the regulations listed here, a big question comes to mind. There are to be 100 players, but the prizes for the event only run through 30th place. The tournament lasts for 15 days, which is a pretty long time. At the start of the article just linked to the event is described as an "all-expenses paid" event, but when they list some of the regulations it says this: "All accommodation costs and a travel allowance will be paid by the players."
That doesn't sound like "all-expenses paid" to me, and so if I'm ranked 50th or below I've got to wonder if it's worth my while.
[DM: **UPDATE** Oliver notes in the comments that there was an error in the Chess24 piece I cited, due to haste. Rather than "All accommodation costs and a travel allowance will be paid by the players" (emphasis added), it should have been "...will be paid for the players" (again, emphasis added). That makes a huge difference! It may not cover all expenses (seconds, opportunity costs), but it's still a significant help to the players.]
My odds of winning are very low - maybe 1/100 if I'm 50th, far less the closer I am to number 100. Meanwhile, I'm paying for the trip, at least 15 days' accommodations (more, because of the need to acclimatize), and the cost of one or more seconds. There's also opportunity costs: I might have to miss out on an event where I'm likely to win money to participate in this tournament. It's all well and good for the starry-eyed dreamers with money to burn, or for those near the super-elite level who want to get in some games with players they'd never normally get to play. But I wouldn't be surprised if a lot of mid-to-upper 2600s decide that it's a bad deal and skip it altogether.
Anyway, it will be entertaining for us, even if it doesn't make much sense as a way to find the best Candidates. Keep the bread and circuses coming, FIDE!
Reader Comments (2)
"All costs paid _by_ the players" apparently was a mistake by author Colin McGourty (who squeeezed this article in before publishing his Tata Steel preview a few hours later the same evening), now changed to "_for_ the players". Item 5.2 of the official regulations (pdf file via FIDE homepage) says "hotel accomodation ((Half-board) for 14 days in a standard room (4-star hotel minimum) and "fee towards their travel expenses [minimum 400-1000$ depending on how far they have to travel]" - it might not cover all costs, but it's more than nothing.
Which 105+ players participate (world women/junior/senior champions and one ACP spot in addition to top100, plus organizer nominees) remains to be seen. Is prize money for top spots attractive enough for Carlsen and Caruana, who could play but don't "have to"? Will 'amateurs' busy with job or university studies - in any case McShane, van Kampen and Hou Yifan[!?] - be interested?
The future of the Grand Prix Series, if any, also seems uncertain at the moment.
[DM: Thank you - that's helpful. And wow, that is insane that here, as in the World Cup, Carlsen (and Caruana) can play. This is lunacy.]
With regard to expenses, the chess24 page you've linked to reads: 'All accommodation costs and a travel allowance will be paid for the players'. This is in contradiction to 'by the players', which you write in your post. A quick trawl through the official Rules document confirms that the players do indeed receive a travel allowance and have their accommodation paid for (section 5.2). Perhaps the error was originally in the chess24 piece and they've now spotted it and made the correction.