C-Squared Podcast by Cristian Chirila and Fabiano Caruana published another episode devoted to the recently concluded Candidates Chess Tournament in Toronto.
This time their guest was Ian Nepomniachtchi, himself twice challenger to the World Championship.
They discussed a variety of topics, including the legendary last round game between Ian and Fabiano, Ian’s two matches against Magnus Carlsen & Ding Liren, chess rating system etc.
Timestamps:
0:00 – Introducing Ian Nepomniachtchi
1:53 – Discussing the crucial 13th round of the Candidates Tournament
7:18 – Ian’s thoughts on Alireza Firouzja’s play in the Candidates
11:53 – How Ian approached the final round of the Candidates
18:05 – Fabiano’s decision to play 1.d4 in the final round
23:29 – Ian’s emotions after his draw against Fabiano in the final round
26:54 – Assessing Ding Liren’s chances in the World Championship match
32:43 – Ian’s take on the new generation of Indian chess players
35:33 – What’s missing for Alireza Firouzja to reach the next level?
38:34 – How Ian recovered from his loss to Ding Liren in their match
41:05 – Ian’s approach to training and preparation in the offseason
46:16 – Predictions for the 2024 World Championship match
52:26 – Issues with FIDE’s Grand Prix format for qualifying for the Candidates
59:04 – Suggestions for improving the chess rating system
1:14:23 – Predicting the participants of the 2026 Candidates Tournament
1:28:17 – Ian’s plans for content creation and upcoming tournaments
1:29:49 – Closing remarks
