The tournament started on June 17, and consists of 14 rounds, and six rounds have been played to date. In addition, like all Candidates Tournament since 2013, it has a two-round league format. The World Championship is scheduled for 2023, where there the winner will face Carlsen.

Four games were played in round six. Two ended in a draw, and the other two had awinner. Teimour Radjabov and Hikaru Nakamura finished their games in a draw against Richard Rapport and Liren Ding, respectively. While Ian Nepomniachtchi defeated Jan-Krzysztof Duda and Fabiano Caruana played with black pieces and beat Alireza Firouzja.

Standings after 6 rounds of 2022 Candidates Tournament

It remains to be seen how the tournament will end, but Carlsen said he will only defend his title against Firouzja, and the Frenchman is currently in last place in the standings.

2022 Candidates Tournament 7th round: Clashes

Chess players will have Friday, June 24 off and will compete again on Saturday, June 25.

Richard Rapport vs Ian Nepomniachtchi
Jan-Krzysztof Duda vs Hikaru Nakamura
Liren Ding vs Alireza Firouzja
Fabiano Caruana vs Teimour Radjabov

This 2022 Candidates Tournament can undoubtedly be the great opportunity for the United States to once again have a world champion since two of the eight participants are American. On the one hand, Fabiano Caruana, who was already a challenger for the Carlsen‘stitle (and therefore winner of this tournament) and on the other Hikaru Nakamura, who in addition to being a chess player is a renowned youtuber.

Of the two, without a doubt the one with the best chance is Caruana, who together with Ding Liren and Alireza Firouzja are the main candidates to win the tournament. Likewise, in a tournament as difficult as this one, anyone could be the winner, and Nakamura is a strong player with 2760 elo points. Hikaru and Caruana will try to be Carlsen‘s challengers and for the champion to be an American again.

The last American world champion

Although Paul Morphy is considered a champion by FIDE, he is not an official champion since the first to be officially named was Wilhelm Steinitz in 1886, two years after the death of the great American player. That is why in history there was only one official champion born in the United States.

That champion is none other than Robert James Fischer, born on March 9, 1943 in Chicago, Illinois. Bobby was undoubtedly one of the greatest talents in chess history, and at a time when thissport was dominated by the Soviets, Fischer emerged as one of the few players capable of playing at the same level.

In 1972 he was the challenger of the then world champion, the Soviet Boris Spassky, whom he defeated 12 1/2 to 8 1/2 in what became known as “The match of the century”, one of the most remembered episodes of the Cold War. That is, Caruana and Nakamura seek to be the first American world champions in 50 years.