'Chess is abstract, that's why it's very isolating': American GM Hans Niemann
Niemann welcomed the removal of the rating qualification spot for the 2026 Candidates Tournament, arguing that the qualifiers through that route in the previous three cycles — Ding, Alireza Firouzja and Hikaru Nakamura — had found loopholes in the system and played easier games to secure their places.
Niemann welcomed the removal of the rating qualification spot for the 2026 Candidates Tournament, arguing that the qualifiers through that route in the previous three cycles — Ding, Alireza Firouzja and Hikaru Nakamura — had found loopholes in the system and played easier games to secure their places.
