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The 2023 FIDE World Chess Championship in April was a thrilling back-and-forth match, but it didnt determine the worlds best player. Did it even crown the worlds second-best player?

Ding Liren of China and Ian Nepomniachtchi of Russia were tied after 14 games of classical chess before Ding prevailed in the tiebreaker. Sports betting sites had the match as nearly 50-50 before the first game was played, with Nepomniachtchi listed as a slight moneyline favorite.

Those pre-match betting odds turned out to be spot on, as either player could have won.

Norwegian Magnus Carlsen, the undisputed best chess player in the world, had been the world champion since 2013 but decided in 2022 to vacate his title. Carlsen cited a lack of motivation. Carlsen convincingly beat Nepomniachtchi in the 2021 World Chess Championship, and Nepomniachtchi qualified again for the 2023 match. Carlsen wasnt in the mood to play the same opponent in back-to-back world championships.

In case youre wondering: The alleged cheating scandal involving American Hans Niemann in the fall of 2022 didnt have anything to do with Carlsen walking away from the most coveted title in chess.

Ding beat Nepomniachtchi, so you might be wondering why he isnt the undisputed No. 2 player in the world. The reason is that the Elo rating system complicates things.

Just a handful of days after the world championship, Ding and Nepomniachtchi joined other top grandmasters in a tournament in Bucharest, Romaniaand through eight over-the-board games, theyve lost a bunch of rating points. Iranian Alireza Firouzja beat them in classical games, leapfrogging Ding and Nepomniachtchi in rating, according to 2700chess.com, which updates player ratings after every contest.

Firoujza was No. 2 globally in rating through the first four months of 2022, but he performed worse than expected in the candidates tournament last summer and didnt qualify for the world championship. Carlsen said he would have defended his title if Firoujza qualified.

In late 2021, Firoujza became the youngest player in history to crack the spectacular 2,800-rating mark. Only 15 players in history have been rated above 2,800, with Carlsen holding the highest ever.

Also in the conversation is American Fabiano Caruana, who had been a perennial No. 2 or No. 3 player in the world before a lackluster 2022 that saw him slide as low as No. 9. Caruana has rebounded over the past several months and is currently No. 6 in the world. Caruana famously took Carlsen to tiebreaks in the 2018 World Chess Championship. At peak form, he could be the worlds second-best.

Hikaru Nakamura, also of the United States, is currently No. 5 globally based on rating. However, he hasnt been No. 2 in the world since 2015, and it would be hard to argue that hes No. 2 right now in classical chess. Nakamura has never played in a world championship match.

The same applies to American Wesley So, currently No. 8 in the world, with a peak of No. 2 in 2015. Like Nakamura, So hasnt played for a world title in classical chess.

A case can be made for Ding, Nepomniachtchi, Firoujza, and Caruana as the worlds second-best. For the sake of competition, we could argue that itd be good news if the 19-year-old Firoujza separated himself from the pack and emerged as the clear-cut No. 2 before the next candidates tournament. If he can become a formidable No. 2, perhaps Carlsen, who has not retired from chess, would look to reclaim his world title.

Read the original post:
Who Is The Best Chess Player In The World After Magnus Carlsen? - Forbes