One last update on Wijk aan Zee and some thoughts on the general state of chess in the United States. Not sure how interesting this will be for people. Probably just myself and possibly babe.
Many chess players in the United States were disappointed when no serious American candidates for the chess championship emerged following the Fischer/Spassky boom in the 70s and 80s when so many kids learned the game and were trying to emulate Fischer. Millions of new players and not one of them ever became a serious title contender. Since then, over the last twenty to thirty years, the popularity of chess has ebbed and Fischer is now remembered as much for his crazy last years as he is for his chess brilliance.
All that, for whatever reason, is starting to change. Over the past year, and now with the results at Wijk aan Zee, (Magnus won by a narrow half point margin) it is clear there are two, and possibly three, American players emerging as serious championship contenders. If any one of them were to play Magnus Carlsen in a match, a new chess boom could be ignited.
For the first time the United States could have potentially three players in the world top ten list. Probably the best known American player is Hikaru Nakamura. He has been a top ten player for several years and reached number three in the world in January 2014, although an indifferent performance record later in 2014 has since dropped him back. Hikaru skipped Wijk aan Zee to train for the upcoming qualifying tournaments that will determine Magnus Carlsen's next challenger in 2016.
The second top ten player is Wesley So. Wesley, twenty-one years old, was born in the Philippines but now lives in St. Louis and plays for the U.S. He finished tied for second in the tournament at Wijk aan Zee and drew his individual game with Magnus. Rapidly improving and rising in the rankings, So just this week passed Nakamura and is now the top American player and number seven in the world.
The reason I said potentially three players is that the current number two rated player in the world, Fabiano Caruana, holds both U.S. and Italian citizenship. He was born in Miami and grew up in the U.S, but at the age of twelve moved to Spain to further his chess career. For ten years he has played and studied chess throughout Europe and although he currently plays for Italy, Caruana has a standing invite to play in the U.S. Championship and has indicated he is open to the possibility of returning and playing for the United States.
If these players continue to improve, odds are good that one of them could challenge Magnus in 2016. The venue has yet to be decided, but a strong contender is New York City, which means the next World Chess Championship could turn into a great media event, especially if Wesley So ends up as the challenger. Unlike Hikaru, who can be aloof, and Caruana, who is quiet and introverted, So has a charismatic and engaging personality, sort of a friendly, less arrogant version of Gary Kasparov.
If you're at all interested in chess, and I imagine if you've made it this far you should be, (either that or just very bored and in need of something to read even if it's about chess), three names to watch this year are Wesley So, Fabiano Caruana, and Hikaru Nakamura. One of them could be the next Bobby Fischer.
