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Madrid has been chosen to host the Chess Candidates Tournament to be held at The Palace of Santoña (Cámara de Comercio) from 16 June to 7 July. A total of eight players will play a double-round league tournament, and the winner will face off against the Norwegian world champion Magnus Carlsen in February 2023.

This competition is a double-round league between eight top-level players. At the moment six players have qualified for the 2022 edition: the American Fabiano Caruana and the Russian Sergey Karjakin (runners-up in 2018 and 2016, respectively); the Polish player Jan-Krzysztof Duda, winner of the World Cup; the French International Chess Grand Master Alireza Firouzja; the Russian Ian Nepomiachtchi, the current runner up; and the Azerbaijani Teimour Radjabov, at the direct invitation of the International Chess Federation (FIDE). Ian Nepomiachtchi and Teimour Radjabov will be coming from the 2022 FIDE Grand Prix, to be held from February to April 2022.

The remaining two places in the tournament will be for the top two qualifiers from the Grand Prix, three tournaments planned in Berlin (two in February and March) and one in Belgrade in March.

The International Chess Federation has chosen Madrid to host the tournament because chess, as it is played today, was born in Spain at the end of the 15th century, and since 1988 Spain has held more international tournaments every year than any other country. In addition, Madrid has been named World Capital of Sport 2022 and is at the forefront of the educational, social, and therapeutic applications of mental sport.