Top 20 finishers get spots at next edition of the FIDE World Cup

With only two rounds remaining at the European Chess Championship in Katowice, the race for first place remains wide open, with two experienced players atop the standings.

The tournament, organised by the Polish Chess Federation, runs from 7 to 19 April and has brought together 501 players in an 11-round Swiss open. Besides the Continental title and a €20,000 first prize from the overall €100,000 prize fund, the main target for many participants is a place in the next FIDE World Cup. The top 20 finishers in Katowice will qualify for the knockout event, which in turn offers three spots in the Candidates Tournament.

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After nine rounds, David Anton of Spain and Nijat Abasov of Azerbaijan share first place on 7½ points. Both are, coincidentally, 30 years old and have been prominent figures on the European circuit for more than a decade. Anton, who reached a peak rating of 2703 in 2020, began the tournament as the 2^nd seed, while Abasov, whose highest published rating was 2679 at the end of 2023, entered as the 29^th seed.

Abasov is already familiar with the biggest stages in chess, having played in the 2024 Candidates Tournament after qualifying through the 2023 FIDE World Cup. Anton, meanwhile, has long been one of Spain's leading grandmasters and arrived in Katowice among the favourites. The two co-leaders are set to meet in Saturday's tenth round, with Anton having the white pieces.

Nijat Abasov during round nine, when he scored a win with white over Israeli IM Benny Aizenberg | Photo: Official website

Aydin Suleymanli signed a draw with David Anton on the top board in Thursday's ninth round | Photo: Official website

Ten players stand just half a point behind the leaders on 7/9. Among them are three members of the top ten in the starting rank: Aydin Suleymanli of Azerbaijan, Ediz Gurel of Türkiye and Haik Martirosyan of Armenia.

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There are also a few lower-seeded players continuing to outperform expectations. Roman Dehtiarov of Ukraine, who entered as the 126^th seed, strengthened his tournament with an upset victory over 21^st seed Lorenzo Lodici in round eight. Nikolozi Kacharava of Georgia, seeded 86^th, also remains in the chasing pack after notable wins over Vasyl Ivanchuk and Jaime Santos in rounds six and seven.

Another 24 players are on 6½/9, just one point off the lead. Given the importance of finishing in the top 20, the final two rounds are likely to produce ambitious and uncompromising play on many boards, particularly among players with scores between 6 and 7 points.

Standings after round 9

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...501 players

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Links

• Official website
• Full technical information on Chess-Results