CHESS

Garry Kasparov, regarded as Magnus Carlsen’s rival as the greatest player of all time, said next month’s Ian Nepomniachtchi v Ding Liren world title match “should include the strongest player on the planet, and this match doesn’t … [it’s] a great show, but it’s not a world championship match.”

Responses to Kasparov’s comments have been mostly negative, pointing out that the match is between the two highest-rated players who are ready to participate, which Carlsen is not. There is a recent precedent in the Vishy Anand v Boris Gelfand 2012 world title series, which took place at a time when Carlsen was world No 1, but declined to take part in the qualifiers because he objected to the candidates being played as a knockout rather than an all-play-all.

The degree of public acceptance for the winner as world champion will depend on whether they can demonstrate achievements in the match and following tournaments. In the late 1960s, Tigran Petrosian was world champion, but his achievements were disparaged due to his inferior tournament performances compared with Bobby Fischer and Boris Spassky.