Wesley So entered the defense of his Fischer Random title | So Good News

Wesley So Fischer Random already knows the full list of players who will challenge him for the world title, which will be held in Reykjavík on October 25-30. This is the second edition of the competition with a prize fund of 400,000 US dollars FIDE World Fischer Random ChampionshipA discipline officially recognized by the International Chess Federation in 2019.

“I’m so excited to be playing Fischer Random again! And in Iceland! Defending my title against the best players in the world and competing there couldn’t be more special. Fifty years since playing in Reykjavík. After the Fischer vs. Spassky match, it gives a historical perspective that can’t be matched. “, he said. commented Wesley So.

Photo: David Llada

Along with the reigning champion in this form of chess is 29-year-old Wesley So from the USA, the reigning World Champion and world number one in classical chess. Magnus Carlsen, also competes. The Norwegian was automatically runner-up in the previous edition in Oslo. Ian Nepomniacci, Hikaru Nakamura, Vladimir Fedoseev, Nodirbek Abdusattorov, Matthias Blubaum the and Hjörvar Steinn Gretarsson Fill out the field for this exciting live event NRKNorway’s largest media organization and RUVIceland’s main national broadcaster.

These were their qualifying routes:

Val (2774)

2019 Fischer World Chess Champion

Magnus Carlsen (2856)

2019 Fischer World Chess Championship runner-up

Vladimir Fedoseev (2688)

Winner of Chess.com Online Knockout 1st Qualifier

Matthias Blubaum (2647)

Winner of 2 Online Knockout Qualifiers at Chess.com

Nodirbek Abdusattorov (2713)

Winner of the 1st online Lichess knockout qualifier organized by Offerspill Sjakklubb

Hikaru Nakamura (2768)

Winner of the Online Knock-out Qualifier 2 at Lichess, hosted by the Charlotte Chess Center and the North American Corporate Chess League

Ian Nepomniachtchi (2793)

FIDE’s Wildcard as the third best player in the 2019 Fischer World Chess Championship and the third highest ranked player in the world

Hörvar Steinn Gretarsson (2533)

Wildcard from the local organizing committee as the strongest Icelandic grandmaster.

What is Fischer Random Chess?

Fischer Random is a chess variant invented by the legendary Bobby Fischer, World Chess Champion from 1972-75. The rules of the game are the same as standard chess, but the starting position of the pieces is shuffled randomly. This reduces the influence of discovery theory and encourages players to think about the development of the game from the first steps.

FIDE 2022 Fischer World Chess Championship Regulations (pdf)