The implacable Carlsen starts out a slight favorite to retain his crown in the 12-game November match in Dubai, but the always talented Nepomniachtchi has embraced a new work ethic and fighting attitude at the board in recent years and has surged to third in the FIDE world rankings. Pundits say he has a genuine chance to take down the champ.
In what appears to be a first in the history of chess, we have a game between the two finalists played way back when both were still waiting for their voices to change at the Spanish tournament 19 years ago. Nepo took the game and the Under-12 European title over Carlsen on tiebreaks. (Remarkably, French star GM Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, who came in second in the Candidates’ tournament last month, was in the same Under-12 field, while fellow candidates and now GMs Fabiano Caruana of the U.S. and Ding Liren of China were competing in the Under-10 section.)