Within the wake of a 2024 Candidates qualification cycle plagued with tumult and controversy, the World Chess Federation (FIDE) has introduced new rules aimed toward “enhancing the aggressive panorama, encouraging participant participation, and making certain truthful illustration of the highest contenders.”

Posted on FIDE’s official web site, probably the most vital, albeit stunning, revelation is the truth that the world championship runner-up will now not mechanically qualify for the next Candidates Match. As a substitute, there’ll now be a second spot allotted to the FIDE Circuit.

As compensation to the runner-up of the present cycle, FIDE indicated that the 2024 World Championship could be “acknowledged as an eligible event for the FIDE Circuit and the runner-up will obtain particular bonus factors for the match.”

Clarification was additionally given regarding the spot allotted to the highest-rated participant, which became a fiasco after a last-minute scramble in December for the spot (which GM Alireza Firouzja ended up bagging). FIDE explicitly said of their press launch that the brand new “six-month common ranking rule eliminates the potential for gamers counting on a “final probability” event in December”. The brand new rule is stipulated in its entirety beneath…

FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich endorsed the adjustments, stating the next:

“These adjustments have been fastidiously thought by way of, contemplating all necessary elements, with the goal of constructing the qualification course of extra partaking and fairer. This displays FIDE’s dedication to evolving and refining the qualification course of, selling a dynamic and aggressive chess atmosphere.”

Whereas the reforms encourage exercise all through the qualification interval, the ranking spot nonetheless permits the highest-rated participant to sit down on their ranking, if wanted. At current that will be GM Magnus Carlsen, who leads GM Fabiano Caruana by 26 factors, although the previous champion has given no indication that he may be tempted again into the world championship system.

GM Maxime Vachier-Lagrave lately proposed that the ranking spot may very well be decided by efficiency ranking moderately than a mean ranking in the course of the qualification interval, a sentiment that Caruana agreed with, however this mannequin has not been adopted within the adjustments.

I even have a suggestion about that. You’re taking ranking efficiency over Fide Circuit occasions accredited solely, different occasions are Fide rated however do not essentially depend in the direction of ranking efficiency, or are weighted otherwise.

— MVL (@Vachier_Lagrave) December 21, 2023

The CEO of FIDE, GM Emil Sutovsky, who was one of many drivers of the reforms, took to Twitter in November to ask for the opinions of most of the people and was met with many solutions, together with a query from GM Elisabeth Paehtz about why the ladies’s cycle did not even have a FIDE circuit.

A query for the final chess public. How do you want FIDE Circuit? Do you imagine each 2024 and 2025 ought to present one spot to Candidates-2026? Or possibly 2 spots because of a 2-year race? Some other thought on the subject?

— Emilchess (@EmilSutovsky) November 25, 2023

What do you consider the proposed adjustments?