At long last, the 2023 World Chess Championship has a venue

After months of speculation, Astana has emerged as the venue of the next FIDE World Championship match, set to take place between April 7 and May 1.

With Magnus Carlsen’s decision to step down from the throne, opting against defending his title for the sixth time, the contest between Ian Nepomniachtchi and Ding Liren will lead to the same sort of split as Kasparov’s breakaway did in the early aughties, when the best player in the world was unwilling to fight for the most prestigious title under FIDE’s auspices.

Years after he first floated the prospect, Magnus Carlsen finally confirmed on Oct. 31 that he won’t be defending his title. By that point, Ian Nepomniachtchi, his previous challenger, had won the Candidates Tournament, earning his right for back-to-back attempts at the world chess championship. In light of Carlsen’s withdrawal, he will go up against the runner-up of the Candidates event, Ding Liren.

This means that the world No. 2 and the world No. 3 will fight it out for the crown, at least according to the current FIDE ratings. The players’ head-to-head record reads 2-8-3 in classical chess, with the Russian holding a slight edge over his Chinese rival. They last met at the previous Candidates Tournament, where Nepo scored a convincing victory early on and swiftly drew the reverse matchup later in the event when he was in a clear lead.

The aftershocks of the pandemic forced FIDE to squeeze the chess calendar, leading to a later-than-usual decision about the venue of this tournament. Popular chess personalities like Levy “GothamChess” Rozman voiced their concerns about the slow and opaque process on social media.

According to FIDE’s official announcement post, Kazakhstan’s recent hosting of the World Rapid and Blitz Championship was one key factor of why they emerged ahead of the other candidates:

“Argentina was the other main contender to host the FIDE World Chess Championship match, while Mexico and China also expressed an interest. However, given the nationality of the contenders, the bid received from Kazakhstan’s capital had obvious advantages due to its geographical situation and its track record of hosting world chess events, and was the option preferred by the FIDE Council.”

The 2023 World Chess Championship will begin on April 7 and ends on May 1, unless one of the players reaches an insurmountable advantage before that point. Two million dollars will be on the line, with 60 percent going to the winner. With a new world champion to be crowned for the first time since 2013, the event is going to have an outsized impact on the chess world even with Carlsen’s absence.