The only top 10 player left is Carlsen

The Candidates Tournament 2022 won’t be as strong as the 2016 and 2018 editions and may not reach the level of 2020/21 after Radjabov has been promised a place and all participating top ten players except the world champion have been eliminated at the World Cup in Sochi, where two will qualify for the Candidates. It’s better news for the Grand Swiss in October and the Grand Prix in spring 2022, which will likely attract contenders like Caruana, Ding, Giri and Vachier-Lagrave and be stronger than ever.