The world’s strongest chess player, Magnus Carlsen, shared his thoughts in an interview ahead of the rapid and blitz tournaments, discussing the unique aspects of shorter-format games, the difficulty in determining favorites, and the expected and unexpected results from young chess players.
Carlsen noted that rapid tournaments are extremely fast-paced and, in some cases, reliant on luck. As such, it is not easy to identify clear leaders. Especially when some top players are not participating, the tournament can resemble a lottery. He mentioned that even excluding himself, the list of favorites in rapid chess is very broad. At the same time, he openly admitted that he finds the blitz format to be more comfortable for him, as the higher number of rounds allows for more consistent performance.
Speaking about young chess players, Magnus specifically highlighted Sindarov, who has shown stable and confident play recently. He believes that this young grandmaster might deliver unexpectedly high results. Additionally, Gukesh, despite not seeming like a favorite at first glance, was also mentioned as a player with the potential to have a strong tournament.
Regarding the blitz competition, Carlsen acknowledged that Hikaru and Alireza are usually considered the leaders in this format. However, in their absence, he emphasized that predicting who would stand out in a multi-round tournament becomes nearly impossible. According to him, there are no clear favorites in blitz.
Carlsen also hinted at possible surprises. He considers Dubov to be one of the strong contenders in blitz and mentioned that players like Nihal could also astonish fans with unexpected results.
In summary, the world champion’s insights suggest that the upcoming rapid and blitz tournaments will feature intense competition. In addition to the favorites, young and less experienced players could also make their mark. This promises even more exciting and intriguing tournaments for the fans.
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