Russian Grandmaster Ian Nepomniachtchi won the acclaimed World Champion-ship Candidates Chess Tournament in Yekaterinburg, Russia, last week with a round to spare and claimed the right to challenge world champion Magnus Carlsen for his title.
Nepomniachtchi, 30, overcame seven of the finest chess players on the planet from five nations to emerge victorious. He finished with 8.5 points from 14 games. The world championship match between Carlsen and Nepomniachtchi will begin on Wednesday, November 24, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates as part of the Expo World Exhibition.
The match between Carlsen and Nepomniachtchi promises to be an exciting one. The last time the two grandmasters clashed was in March at the Magnus Carlsen Invitational. At that meeting, Nepomniachtchi got the upper hand and relegated Carlsen to third place. However, Dutch Grandmaster Anish Giri won by beating Nepomniachtchi in the 
finals. Nepomniachtchi has now avenged that defeat.
In local chess news, a past president of the Guyana Chess Federation, Irshad Mohammed, excelled in the monthly April online blitz tournament. Mohammed upstaged Anthony Drayton, Glenford Corlette, Loris Nathoo and Davion Mars to claim first place.
