Chess.com is happy to announce that the Meltwater Champions Chess Tour and the Chess.com International Championship are coming collectively in 2023 to type one unified chess sequence. This enormous occasion kicks off on February 6 and spans all the yr. With six tournaments culminating in a single last championship and a mixed prize pool of $2,000,000, that is Chess.com’s largest occasion in historical past.
Followers can anticipate the participation of the reigning World Champion Magnus Carlsen, arguably the best participant of all time and winner of the final Meltwater Champions Chess Tour.
Followers may also take pleasure in watching different gifted gamers from the chess elite enjoying within the occasion. However except for them, this thrilling new sequence may also give each participant an opportunity to take part. The six occasions resulting in the championship finals will function qualifiers open to titled gamers and prime gamers on Chess.com’s leaderboards. This method will be sure that each chess skilled can earn cash and seize the highlight doing what they love—enjoying chess.
The occasion sequence is a results of Chess.com’s current acquisition of the Play Magnus Group. In 2022, Chess.com and the Play Magnus Group ran two wildly standard occasions, the Chess.com International Championship and the Meltwater Champions Chess Tour.
The Chess.com International Championship efficiently introduced an occasion during which any participant might take part. The occasion’s knockout bracket format, paired with a bidding armageddon tiebreak system, created the proper surroundings for fairly a dramatic competitors. The occasion’s dwell finals in Toronto elevated the championship to an entire new degree.
Likewise, the Meltwater Champions Chess Tour grew to become a staple in chess occasions with its year-long cycle and state-of-the-art studio manufacturing, spearheaded by the presence of Carlsen himself.
Now, the 2 firms are working collectively to mix the most effective options of each competitions. This new occasion might be huge, with a cohesive year-long schedule and the most important prize fund in on-line chess historical past.
“We’re extraordinarily pleased with all the things that the Meltwater Champions Chess Tour has achieved during the last years for our followers, gamers, and companions around the globe,” mentioned Arne Horvei, Tour Director for the Meltwater Champions Chess Tour. “We stay up for combining our efforts with Chess.com’s in an effort to create probably the most compelling and modern chess occasions but.”
We stay up for combining our efforts with Chess.com’s in an effort to create probably the most compelling and modern chess occasions but.
— Arne Horvei, Tour Director
“I am very enthusiastic about this new sequence and what it means for the way forward for skilled chess competitors,” mentioned Michael Brancato, Chess.com’s Vice President of Esports. “With a modernized format, clearer scheduling, and the chance for anybody to qualify and play within the championship, this occasion might be a large step ahead for aggressive chess.”
How Will The Occasion Collection Work?
The occasion is the evolution of the Chess.com International Championship and Chess24’s Meltwater Champions Chess Tour, combining the most effective options of each competitions:
6 Occasions
Much like the Meltwater Champions Chess Tour, this may function a sequence of six occasions culminating within the last. A double-elimination bracket replaces the earlier round-robin format, with gamers competing in fast video games.
The six tournaments will happen throughout all the yr:
- Occasion 1: February 6-10
- Occasion 2: April 3-7
- Occasion 3: Might 22-26
- Occasion 4: July 10-14
- Occasion 5: August 28-September 1
- Occasion 6: September 25-29
Open Qualification System
Every of the six occasions will function a qualification system, giving skilled gamers extra possibilities to take part in elite tournaments. Any grandmaster can play within the qualifiers, in addition to anybody on the top-500 fast leaderboard on Chess.com. There might be extra particulars to come back.
A Stacked Championship
The thrilling new occasion sequence ends with a high-stakes match that includes eight gamers. An eight-player playoff will decide which 4 gamers transfer on to the finals. The 4 finalists will compete in a knockout match, the ultimate step earlier than the champion emerges.
Whether or not you need to watch or play on this thrilling new occasion sequence, keep tuned for a future announcement in January the place extra particulars and knowledge might be revealed!
Who do you hope to see enjoying on this new occasion? Tell us within the remark part beneath!