Rajabov says no personal reasons behind Candidates Tournament refusal

Azerbaijani chess player Teymur Rajabov has commented on reports of his refusal to compete in the Candidates Tournament.

The 33-year-old grandmaster shared a post on his Instagram account.

He mentioned that his withdrawal is not because of personal reasons.

"Dear compatriots, chess lovers, chess community, colleagues and friends, I have no private reason for leaving the tournament. I will soon announce the information I sent to the World Chess Federation (FIDE) and their response," he posted.

Earlier, Teymur Rajabov claimed a license to the Candidates Tournament, as a winner of the World Cup.

FIDE Candidates Tournament 2020 will run between March 15 and April 5, 2020.

A total of eight chess players, including Fabiano Caruana (US), Anish Giri (the Netherlands), Maxime Vachier-Lagrave (France), Alexander Grischuk, Ian Nepomniachtchi, Kirill Alekseenko (all from Russia), Ding Liren and Hao Wang (both from China) will vie for a chance to play Magnus Carlsen in the World Chess Championship.