Will this be the weakest chess candidates to take on Gukesh D?

During the stream of the FIDE World Cup which is the world cup for chess, a controversial topic was raised. The live stream was going live on ChessBase India's youtube channel and renowned commentator and Olympiad team gold medalist International master Tania Sachdev brought up a tweet posted by Peter Heine Nielsen on X. This is what was discussed live by the panel.

Tania Sachdev : You know, honestly, the way Goa has shaped up, this World Cup has shaped up. I think this coming candidates will be unlike any that we've seen at least in the recent past. I saw a tweet by Peter Heine Nielsen just before the start of the broadcast where he stated a fact that in this candidates, the upcoming candidates, there are going to be at least three players out of the world top twenty. Matthias Blübaum is already in. He's one of them out of the mix that we have Arjun Erigaisi nobody else is in the top twenty and out of him and Wei Yi only one will qualify. here is this whole debate going on Sagar about is this potentially it could be one of the weaker candidates that we've seen but I think that also makes it such a curveball right because these are the names that people you have to go all out against and that is a double-edged sword cuz you take those chances it can backfire. How do you see this candidates being shaped up with what's happening here in Goa?

Amruta Mokal : You know, one of the thing I really feel it's high time that we all look at it in such a new perspective that we cannot be comparing every single candidate with the new one. You know, the players are new, the era is new, the preparation is new. It's modern chess and in modern chess we are going to have the modern players. And that's why I think the way it it's going to be stronger is in a different way. It may not be in the exact same way how it was earlier but any tournament I mean this world cup for me even if I witnessed 2017 Magnus Carlson was there, Levon was there I mean MVL was there but this one who I would say is the toughest on the board the intensity huge

Sahaj Grover: I mean also if we think about I mean maybe we are saying that this candidates might not be the strongest because on paper because the ratings are not that high. I mean when India won the Olympiad medal in 2013 it was 2014 it was in the bronze medal 2014. I mean our team was not the strongest on paper either, if I remember correctly I mean but but those players I think were uh the best in shape and that's what got us the first Olympic medal in chess at least you know to India and so I think rating in this sense is not the best metric. It als it's also your form, it's also your age, it's also your ambition, it's your hunger. So many other you know aspects that we should consider when we when we think about whether it's the weakest candidates or not. I mean you have Jospem, you have Sindarov all you have Nodirbek Yakubboev, you have Arjun, you have you have Wei Yi all of these players share something in common which is hunger. They want to prove themselves and I think that's what makes it one of one of the strongest candidates that will ever happen.

Sagar Shah : I personally think that the candidates could become very strong, right? Like imagine that Hikaru is there already, right? He's there already. Yes. Fabi is there. Praggnanandhaa will go in that's already three world class players. Anish is there that's the fourth world class player. If Arjun qualifies from here that's fifth. Then you have Matthias Blübaum who's not world class until now but maybe till April he could reach 2700. Then we have Sindarov who's 2720. Maybe he could gain twenty points and reach top ten right it's possible. And then you have Nodirbek Yakubboev for just for example like I I'm guessing if these three qualify he's around 2700 which means that the candidates has almost all players about 2700 because I am pretty sure Matthias Blübaum could also get there you know by March he's playing the Tata Steel Wijk aan Zee. So I don't see this candidates as like weak. Okay. If you say like eight should be out of top ten then yes perhaps then it's weak. I I don't know which candidates was it which was like so strong. Maybe 2018 was very strong. 2016 was very strong. I remember we were there. was very strong.

Tania Sachdev : And I also want to say I think 2024 was an incredible candidates. It had some new names come in but let's not forget like you had Vidit who started I think as one of the lowest seeds in that candidate he started as I think the second last seed and he went on to win both his matches against Hikaru. The third last seed of the tournament went on to become the world champion.

Sahaj Grover : Bishop takes H3. Yeah. In in Vidit's game against Hikaru. I mean I still remember that. I mean it's so refreshing to see that.

Tania Sachdev :Yes. Yeah. But I will say one thing though. The way this candidates is shaping up and of course there are three spots. We don't know who's going to take it. I think the players that are going to be in there, it guarantees excitement. But when I if Arjun does qualify, I see Hikaru, Fabi, and Arjun really seeing this as their big chance, as their big opportunity given the rest of the field. They I think this is going to be one of those candidates where we'll have a high number of decisive games and not as many draws.

Amruta Mokal : Oo, that's a great point. The more the youngsters, the more the decisive games. Actually, that is something I really like about it.

What do you think? Who will win the candidates?

Written by Arteyo. A QuiqChess production.