China’s world No 3 Ding Liren could make an unlikely late bid for a place in the Candidates tournament that will decide Magnus Carlsen’s next challenger. Ding’s chances seemed to have vanished when visa problems prevented him competing in the current Grand Prix series in Berlin which will qualify two winners for the Candidates at Madrid in June, but a possible lifeline has appeared due to Fide’s six-month ban on Sergey Karjakin, who had qualified for Madrid via the 2021 World Cup but will now be barred from competing in the Candidates.
Karjakin won the Candidates in 2016 and went on to tie 6-6 with Carlsen in the world championship match before losing the speed chess tie-break.