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The 2011 World Championship challenger is decided in a Candidates Tournament with eight participants (including World Cup and Grand Prix winners). At the 80th FIDE Congress in Greece this week FIDE decided, remarkably, that the tournament, scheduled for 2010/2011, would be split into two parts, to allow candidate Levon Aronian, who is from Armenia, to avoid playing in Azerbaijan.

It is reported that the World Championship Candidates Match will be split into two groups, with four players in each. One of these will be held in Azerbaijan and the other (in which Aronian will play) in a different country. This must, at the insistence of Azerbaijan, not be Armenia.

So what happens if the final match has to be contested between representatives of Azerbaijan and Armenia. In that case, the FIDE Congress decided, it will be played in a neutral country. "If the final is between a representative of Azerbaijan and a player other than Aronian, it will be played in Azerbaijan. Finally, if the final is between Aronian and a representative of another country, other than Azerbaijan, the final will take place in another country."

We are informed that the Candidates matches will take place at the end of 2010 and the beginning of 2011.