3 July 2022 updated 3 July 2022
Ian Nepomniachtchi has clinched the FIDE candidates tournament, with a score of 9/13 with one round to go. This qualifies him to play in the next World Chess Championship, ostensibly with the current champion, Magnus Carlsen. However, after beating Ian in the World Chess Championship in 2021, Magnus stated that he probably wouldn't want to play in the competition again, unless it was against Alireza Firouzja, one of the new generation of players.
Firouzja is also playing in the candidates, but he currently has a score of 5/13, so cannot catch Nepomniachtchi.
If Magnus declines to play, the second place finisher in the candidates may get a shot at the world title.
In the final round of the candidates, Liren Ding will play white against Hikaru Nakamura with the black pieces. Nakamura is currently on 7.5/13 and Ding is on 7/13. If Hikaru wins or draws, he will end up in second place, whereas if Ding wins, he will end up second. The next highest placed competitors are currently Teimour Radjabov and Fabiano Caruana, both with 6.5/13, so neither of them can finnish in the top two places.
Hikaru expects an exciting game tomorrow with Ding, but he expects Magnus to play in the World Chess Championship, making the second place finish less important.