Atreyo Mukhopadhyay in Goa
Something called plasma is the fourth state of matter after solid, liquid and gaseous. In chess, a fourth state of official supremacy is on the cards. A new World Championship in addition to the existing ones in the classical, rapid and blitz formats has been announced by FIDE, the world governing body of the game.
To be organised in partnership with Norway Chess from 2027, this will combine the existing formats and the winner will be the one who emerges the best after competitions in a faster classical version, rapid and blitz held under one umbrella. It will be called the Total Chess World Championship.
This has divided opinion, as many have questioned the requirement of another championship when three separate ones are already in place. Some are of the opinion this will devalue the existing ones. Some others see this as a sign of FIDE giving in to the demands of Magnus Carlsen, who is the No. 1 in all three formats, and has stopped taking part in the classical World Championship.
The FIDE is obviously optimistic about the acceptability of the new venture. Asked about this by RevSportz on the sidelines of the ongoing World Cup in Goa, the world body’s president, Arkady Dvorkovic said the stakeholders have no hesitation in welcoming the Total Chess World Championship. Viswanathan Anand, a vice-president of the world body, said the same. Both maintained that the classical World Championship will remain the most coveted title.
“The chess audience has grown a lot. So we have to address multiple audiences,” said Anand. “They want different kinds of formats, which are more popular. And we have to address that. So there is always a trade-off and I think it’s clear. In fact, I think a person who enjoys a sport in one way, in one format, will also want to check out the other ones. It might actually lift all the formats,” felt the five-time classical world champion, who won the rapid title twice and blitz once.
Anand said the new state of the world championship will contribute to the growth of the existing classical one which was won by D Gukesh last year. “The combined Total World Chess Championship will provide seats to the Candidates. And we keep the classical world title above the others. But it’s also important that fans are able to enjoy the game in multiple formats, time controls, and different experiences.”
Dvorkovic said there are multiple considerations and interest from several quarters which prompted this move. He, too, reckoned the classical World Championship will remain the pinnacle. Asked if the new competition will reduce the importance of the other three, he felt it’s too early to come to a conclusion.
“I don’t think it will immediately become more important than the classical. At this moment, we can’t say this will dilute the value of the other World Championships,” answered the official from Russia. “We will try to make sure that the classical one is the most important. Rapid and blitz have had many champions and they are important events for the players. We have to see how this combined one is received. We don’t know yet. We just feel there is demand for it from our partners, the sponsors and the media. Let’s see how it goes.”
The future seems to be interesting. Even though almost all the players say that they prefer the classical format over others and hold it at the highest esteem, a number of them including top guns like Carlsen are showing a growing inclination for the freestyle format. Adding another elite event to the already hectic calendar is an experiment that will have to endure the test of time.
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