The tournament to decide who will take on Carlsen for his world crown restarts on Monday after a year-long Covid-enforced delay
The Covid-hit Candidates will resume in Ekaterinburg on Monday, a full year after the eight-player tournament to decide the official challenger for Magnus Carlsen’s global crown was unceremoniously and tantalisingly halted at halfway by the pandemic.
Only six of the players are still in realistic contention, though. China’s world No 3 Ding Liren is effectively out of it – tied last with the
Russian outsider Kirill Alekseenko on a measly 2.5/7 – with six players ahead of him and only seven rounds left.