“FIDE Invites Sergey Karjakin to World Cup Despite Previous Controversies”

FIDE Included Karjakin in the List of World Cup Participants

The Russian grandmaster received an invitation as he qualified for the tournament following the results of the last World Cup. Now he has until June 2 to confirm his participation. Karjakin previously stated his unwillingness to play at FIDE tournaments under a neutral flag

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Russian grandmaster Sergey Karyakin has been included in the preliminary list of participants in the World Chess Cup 2023. The list was published on the website of the International Chess Federation (FIDE).

The Russian received an invitation as he qualified for the tournament following the results of the 2021 World Cup. Now Karjakin has until June 2 to confirm his participation.

Russian chess players will be able to play at the World Cup only in a neutral status.

In March 2022, Karjakin was suspended for six months for supporting a special operation in Ukraine. After the end of the disqualification, the grandmaster refused to participate in FIDE competitions, explaining his decision by his unwillingness to play under a neutral flag.

In February, Karjakin was removed from the FIDE rankings due to the fact that he had not played in tournaments for a year. Prior to that, the chess player took tenth place in it. In May, he played in the Russian team championship as part of the Moscow Region team to return to the rankings.

Karjakin is 33 years old, in 2016 he won the Candidates Tournament, after which he lost the match for the chess crown to the Norwegian Magnus Carlsen. The grandmaster is the owner of the World Cup in 2015, the world champion in rapid chess (2012) and blitz (2016).