Candidates 2024: A clash of generations and styles
The elite stars and young talents will be competing in Toronto for the right to face Liren in the World Championship match
BENGALURU: Levon Aronian likens playing the Candidates tournament to climbing a mountain. The Armenian American former world No.2 has played it at least half a dozen times and should count as something of an authority on it. Over the next three weeks, the chess smarts, emotions and endurance of 16 players (eight each in Open and women) will be put through the cauldron. Only two of them will make it to the other side.
“When you try to climb a mountain, all the weaknesses and problems you have in your body are revealed. Similarly, you might arrive at a Candidates tournament thinking you’re in great shape. Then, over each round, you’re laid bare. You are forced to reassess, adapt and make changes,” said Aronian.
This time, it’s a particularly delicious clash of generations and styles — the bonafide elite going up against young stars of the game. In the Open section, three players — D Gukesh, R Praggnanandhaa and Alireza Firouzja are aged 20 or below. Four of the five Indians in the overall field are playing their first Candidates. In a chess world now driven by computer engines and AI, how do you prepare for a top classical tournament where your opponents have access to pretty much the same resources and conclusions? The top choices of the computer in most positions are already examined threadbare by everyone.
“The major novelties of the past are no longer possible,” said Grzegorz Gajewski, “Now, you look for a new direction that is not necessarily stronger, or mind-blowing in any way. But you have a plan behind the move and you hope that your opponents won’t be familiar with all its nuances and ideas.
It’s kind of what everybody’s doing these days.”
Gajewski, who served as a second for Viswanathan Anand, and is now coach to Gukesh, uses the example of his 17-yearold pupil to make a case for using engines judiciously and not smothering creativity and independent thinking. Gukesh kept away from engines right from his early years in chess and only began using them in the past few years. “Lots of strong players suffer if they’re forced out of the book early. Gukesh is not one of them. If he doesn’t get to revise a few lines before a game, we’re usually not too worried. We know he can handle it on the board,” said Gajewski, “Many players who had a similar quality, lost it after they decided to immerse themselves in theory. Even though these days Gukesh uses engines to check tactics and lines, we’re careful to not overdo it.”
Gajewski added: “You want good preparation and you want all kinds of novelties in your arsenal that you can find. But what you have to remember is that these ideas may not win too many games or any game at all. So, our approach is just to get the kind of position that will allow Gukesh to prove that he is the better player on the board.”
The evolution of preparation has made it much harder for players to get into a fight or play decisive games. “Classical chess is not about finding the best moves anymore; it’s about finding something unexpected and being very practical,” said Aronian.
“For my recent tournaments, I tried to keep engine use to a minimum. I want neither to blur my vision nor complete precision in my play. There should be some room for human error.”
Aronian says he typically tries to use something dubious, that isn’t part of his preparation in the first rounds. “It’s a long tournament, you want to throw others off the scent and also try to get them to waste time going over lines you aren’t going to play again. The rounds just past the halfway mark, particularly Rounds 8 and 9 are crucial. By the time you get to them, you have to be clear about what you’re playing for.”
In the eight-player Open section, there’s an unlikely player — Nijat Abasov — who’s roughly 100 Elo lower than the rest of the field. The rest of the seven players will possibly be eager to have a flawless 2-0 score against him which could open up opportunities for the Azerbaijani to land a blow as well.
“When I was working with Vishy (Anand) we had a very academic approach,” says Peter Heine Nielsen, currently Carlsen’s second, “It’s not possible anymore. Vishy was pretty good with using surprises as well (think 1.d4 vs Kramnik in Bonn) but these days, that strategy has been taken much further and almost suspicious lines are being employed in trying to play something obscure. Like at the previous World Championship. It was interesting but also felt like a gamble and perhaps a bit unnecessary. I’m curious to see what happens in the Candidates. From an opening theory perspective, it’s hard to play an interesting game of chess. But given the field, my impression is these players will make it interesting.”
In a tournament like the Candidates, it’s not easy to coast on your lead either. “There are players with very unpredictable styles so there are a lot of dynamics in it,” said five-time world champion Anand, “I believe it’s about being calm and sensible because it’s a long tournament. You also need the presence of mind to shift gears when you smell blood. It’s to some degree a test of endurance as much as talent. You can do well for 10 rounds and still have events go unpredictably.”
Aronian knows a thing or two about the latter as well. Though the 41-year-old has played the tournament a greater number of times than he cares to remember, he’s yet to make it to the other side.
“You prepare for months and accumulate all this knowledge. But without the emotional capabilities, nothing matters. I’ve won World Cups but have had a problem getting a grip on my emotions only in this particular tournament. You are one step away from a World Championship, the biggest dream of every chess player. You want to be calm and focused but you also want to be passionate and hustle. It’s a tough balancing act.”
THIS TIME, IT’S A PARTICULARLY DELICIOUS CLASH OF GENERATIONS AND STYLES — THE BONAFIDE ELITE GOING UP AGAINST YOUNG STARS OF THE GAME.