In the end, it wasn't quite enough to qualify for the Candidates Tournament, but German Chess can be proud of the performance of its model chess player. In the final round, Vincent played a draw with black against former World Championship challenger Fabiano Caruana, with the black pieces. He even tried to get a little more and keep his chance of finishing in the top two. But Caruana was not interested in too much confusion and led the game confidently to a draw. In the end, even a win would not have been enough for Vincent. Because Vidit won his game (which also ruined all of Vincent's chances) and thus the tournament ahead of Hikaru Nakamura. Both qualified for the Candidates Tournament, which will take place in Toronto, Canada in April 2024.
The fact that despite finishing fifth and winning $30,000 in prize money, the German sports news magazine Sportschau published a long and very well-researched article shows what a stir qualifying for the Candidates Tournament could make. Would regular TV coverage of the Candidates Tournament even be conceivable?
It's not that far yet, but the train to the Candidates Tournament hasn't quite left the station yet. There are still two ways to qualify. The number one option would be by rating. The player who hasn't yet qualified for the Candidates Tournament and has the highest Elo rating in the January evaluation gets the place in the Candidates Tournament. As number 18 in the world rankings, Keymer would have to catch up by a good 29 Elo points to the current number 6 in the world, Alireza Firouzja. Not impossible, but incredibly difficult at this level.
The last option would be via the Fide Circuit, but Keymer is ranked 14th here. Here too, a comeback seems very unlikely.
Even if nothing comes of it in this cycle, the German chess future with Vincent seems to give reason for hope, we keep our fingers crossed!
The fact that despite finishing fifth and winning $30,000 in prize money, the German sports news magazine Sportschau published a long and very well-researched article shows what a stir qualifying for the Candidates Tournament could make. Would regular TV coverage of the Candidates Tournament even be conceivable?
It's not that far yet, but the train to the Candidates Tournament hasn't quite left the station yet. There are still two ways to qualify. The number one option would be by rating. The player who hasn't yet qualified for the Candidates Tournament and has the highest Elo rating in the January evaluation gets the place in the Candidates Tournament. As number 18 in the world rankings, Keymer would have to catch up by a good 29 Elo points to the current number 6 in the world, Alireza Firouzja. Not impossible, but incredibly difficult at this level.
The last option would be via the Fide Circuit, but Keymer is ranked 14th here. Here too, a comeback seems very unlikely.
Even if nothing comes of it in this cycle, the German chess future with Vincent seems to give reason for hope, we keep our fingers crossed!
