Former FIDE World Chess Champion Alexander Khalifman was asked for predictions about the upcoming World Championship match between Ian Nepomniachtchi and Ding Liren. He talks about their strengths and weaknesses, and also about Magnus Carlsen’s decision not to defend his title. Khalifman claims Magnus has a talent that only Jose Capablanca, Anatoly Karpov and to some extent Vasily Smyslov shared.
Russian Grandmaster Alexander Khalifman won the FIDE World Championship in a knockout tournament in Las Vegas in 1999, but has long been focused on his chess school, playing his last FIDE-rated classical games in 2019. Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, he’s taken a clear anti-war stance.
Recently he argued with Mikhail Kobalia on Facebook that Ukrainian chess players have every right not to shake hands with a Russian opponent, after Kobalia had gone to the Appeals Committee during the European Championship when Kirill Shevchenko refused to shake his hand before their game.
Khalifman was interviewed by Alexander Kruzhkov for Sport Express and we’ve translated the chess-related part of the interview below.
1. Let’s start from the upcoming World Championship match. For many, Ian Nepomniachtchi is the favourite. Do you share that feeling?
I’ll hold back from predictions, but in small areas you can prefer Nepomniachtchi. Firstly, he has experience of a World Championship match, even if it was negative. Secondly, Ian really has handled the most important tournaments impressively recently.
2. His main drawback?
The same as for Liren. Mental instability in extreme situations.
If something suddenly goes wrong, both can falter and crumble.
I know that both Ian and Ding have tried to work on that, but to make noticeable progress in such matters is incredibly difficult. After all, a lot depends on nature, and you can’t change that. At some point it takes its toll, and everything gets out of hand…
3. What is Ding Liren good at?
Chinese players are constantly compared to computers. That’s a stereotype, although there’s something of a calculating machine in Ding’s play — a classical approach, a minimum number of mistakes. Yes, sometimes he can’t cope with the psychological load, but Liren is very dangerous!
4. Does Carlsen turning down the match against Nepomniachtchi devalue the World Championship title?
Not at all! It’s still a World Championship match. Besides, Magnus took the decision himself. Nobody pushed the Norwegian or put forward unacceptable conditions. Could he have played? He could! But if he turned it down — what’s there to talk about?
5. Your first reaction when you heard about Carlsen not wanting to defend his title?
Surprise and bewilderment, but not shock. Magnus is a special person. He often acts contrary to logic. In the chess world everyone has already got used to that.
I don’t judge Carlsen, but at the same time I think you shouldn’t give up the title without a fight.
6. Do you think Magnus will return to the World Championship cycle?
I think so, yes, and at the moment when people least expect it from him. That’s the guy’s character.
7. Sergey Karjakin is sure that Carlsen’s dream of breaking a 2900 rating is a utopia. Do you agree?
More yes, than no. The task is hellishly difficult. You need super-stability, which the Norwegian hasn’t shown even in his best years. But… it’s Magnus! And he’s special. Very special! If he devotes all his preparation to that one single goal — you never know!
8. About 15 years ago you mentioned in an interview, “Carlsen’s elite prospects are murky to me”. What concerned you about the young genius?
How to explain it simply… It seemed as though he moves pieces back and forth, making no mistakes, but the absence of a classical chess education might hinder his future progress. It soon turned out that I’d underestimated the scale of his talent.
Sometimes by nature people have an inherent ability for calculation, and character, passion. But to also understand where to put the pieces… that’s a rare case! In the history of chess there were three such players — Capablanca, Karpov, Carlsen. A little below them, Smyslov. The others were earthbound.
9. Did you come into close contact with Magnus?
Minimally. And we met at the chessboard just once, at a tournament in Norway. Carlsen was 13 back then and he was already approaching grandmaster level. For example, he beat Shirov there. And he shared the point with me. That was the last round and by that point both Magnus and I were tired. In the end there was a calm, workmanlike draw. Without any flourishes or brilliancies.
10. In Alex Ferguson’s memoires I encountered the phrase, “If I was starting out now to coach from scratch, I’d insist that every footballer plays rapid chess”. Is that a healthy idea?
Is it for me to argue with Sir Alex? And rapid or classical chess — what difference does it make? The main thing is that chess forces your brain cells to be more active. It teaches you to distinguish between the important and the secondary, to develop concentration and fast decision-taking. That’s helpful not only in football, but in life.
The Nepomniachtchi-Ding Liren World Championship match starts in Astana, Kazakhstan on April 9th.
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