Candidates Given Green Light As Visa Issues Resolved Just In Time

You could almost hear the collective sigh of relief from FIDE officials and the Toronto organizers as clearance was given for the Candidates Tournament after visa issues were resolved just in time.

It was a dramatic turn of events when on Friday FIDE published an appeal to the Canadian government, citing "grave concerns" and urging authorites to take action or face relocation of the premier event to Spain. 

Today, just a day shy of FIDE's imposed deadline, the highly-anticipated Candidates in Toronto has been given the green light, with the global chess body confirming that all players and officials have received approval for entry into Canada.

FIDE wrote on their X/Twitter account:

"Since our appeal on Friday, we've received a positive response from Canadian Immigration Authorities. All players and key members of the organizing team have received their visa approvals and notifications to submit their passports. This is a good sign and we hope that everyone involved will get their visas in time to travel to Toronto!"

Well done.

I wish you guys didn’t give the entire world a heart attack, but what’s chess without a little drama? 😉

— GothamChess (@GothamChess) March 7, 2024

FIDE CEO Emil Sutovsky confirms to Chess.com that all visas have been approved, adding: "Are we relaxed now? Relief is a proper description, but not relaxed till it will be physically stamped in players' passports."

Asked whether they at any point feared the event would have to be moved, Sutovsky says:

"I can say that the concern was very real. FIDE put [in] a lot of effort—along with our Canadian friends and partners. We did have a plan B, but the goal always was to turn every stone in order to resolve it and have an event in Toronto. Luckily, Canadian authorities were ready to listen and act swiftly—and I'd like to thank them again for addressing the matter."

The Candidates Tournament is scheduled to take place in The Great Hall in Toronto, Canada on April 4-22 to determine who challenges GMs Ding Liren and Ju Wenjun for the world championship titles.

The event was at risk of being relocated to Spain with over 40 players and officials grappling with pending visa approvals, as revealed by Vladimir Drkulec, the President of the Canadian Chess Federation, last weekend.

On Monday the situation improved considerably as more than 30 applications were approved, Druklec told the Toronto Star: "I went to sleep at 2 a.m. and thought we were heading toward a disaster. I woke up this morning… and the initial news was good. But then I got more emails and the news was even better."

Drkulec has been updating Chess.com's users in the comment section for the past week, denying claims that the delays in issuing visas were a political signal, considering the deteriorating relationship between India, Russia, and Canada. He wrote:

"Some people have mistakes in their application. Some applied late. There is no rhyme or reason as sometimes the last person applying was one of the first to get the visa. Nothing to see here. The Canadian government has been responsive. The Canadian chess players have been fantastic. When we got through to the right person, the MPs and their staff have been great."