National GM to join Candidates Tournament in Canada

The drawing of lots for the 2024 Candidates Tournament has been held in Toronto, Canada.

Azerbaijani chess player Nijat Abasov will face Ian Nepomniachtchi in the first round, followed by games against Fabiano Caruana, Hikaru Nakamura, Alireza Firouzja, Dommaraju Gukesh, Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa, and Santosh Vidit, respectively, Azernews reports.

The 8-player double round-robin chess tournament will take place in Toronto on April 3-23.

The tournament is an eight-player, double round-robin tournament, meaning there are 14 rounds with each player facing the others twice: once with the black pieces and once with the white pieces.

Recall that Nijat Abasov reached his all-time-highest rating of 2677 and was ranked No. 3 in Azerbaijan and No. 59 in the world as of 2023.

In the FIDE World Cup 2023, Abasov found himself face-to-face with Magnus Carlsen, widely regarded as one of the greatest chess players of all time.

The match between these two chess prodigies was an unforgettable display of strategic brilliance.