The Grand Chess Tour Returns In 2022
The World’s Elite Grandmasters Will Compete in Five Over The Board Events From May to November 2022
For more information, please contact:
Rebecca Buffington
Phone: +1 314 277 3930
Email: press@grandchesstour.org
For Immediate Release
The Grand Chess Tour Returns In 2022
The World’s Elite Grandmasters Will Compete in Five Over The Board Events From May to November 2022
Saint Louis, MO, July 11, 2021 – The Grand Chess Tour (GCT) is scheduled to return again in 2022 and will include a new tournament in Warsaw, Poland. Tour participants will compete for a total prize fund of $1.275 million over the course of the 2022 season. The prize money for each of the two classical tournaments will be $325,000 and $150,000 per event for rapid and blitz. In addition, a bonus prize fund totalling $175,000 will be awarded to the top three overall tour finishers.
The GCT Board decided to delay the expansion of its tournaments until the 2023 season due to a heavy chess calendar planned in 2022 by FIDE. The 2022 calendar comprises the four tournaments for the next FIDE World Championship cycle – FIDE Grand Prix qualifiers and the Candidates tournament, as well as the World Chess Olympiad and the World Team Championship.
In the interest of the players, the GCT and FIDE collaborated to form a balanced schedule to avoid scheduling conflicts. Following the success of the 2021 Superbet Chess Classic, the 2022 tour will once again kick off in Bucharest, Romania for the Superbet Chess Classic. The 2022 Sinquefield Cup will be held in September with the Grand Chess Tour finals to be held in November 2022.
Between the two classical events are three rapid and blitz events scheduled to be held in Paris, France, Zagreb, Croatia and Warsaw, Poland. There will not be a Saint Louis Rapid & Blitz tournament in 2022. The Saint Louis Rapid & Blitz tournament will be reinstated for the expanded 2023 tour.
The major sponsors of the 2022 Grand Chess Tour are Superbet Foundation, Vivendi SA, Super United, and Saint Louis Chess Club.
The 2022 Grand Chess Tour season will include:
- Superbet Chess Classic Romania: May 3 – 15, Bucharest, Romania
- Paris Grand Chess Tour Rapid & Blitz: May 17-24, Paris, France
- Super United Rapid & Blitz Croatia Grand Chess Tour: July 19-26, Zagreb, Croatia
- Warsaw Grand Chess Tour Rapid & Blitz: August 24-30, Warsaw, Poland
- September 1-15, Sinquefield Cup, Saint Louis, USA
“The GCT worked in cooperation with FIDE to ensure no scheduling conflicts among the top world events, Including the FIDE Grand Prix qualifiers, Candidates tournament, World Team Championship and the World Chess Olympiad,” said GCT Executive Director Michael Khodarkovsky.
The full format and qualification criteria of the 2022 Grand Chess Tour will be announced in the coming months. The GCT has further plans to expand in 2023, including the return of the Saint Louis Rapid & Blitz. Please visit grandchesstour.org for more information and all the latest news. Spectators can follow commentary on kasparovchess.com.
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About the Grand Chess Tour
The Grand Chess Tour is a circuit of international events, each demonstrating the highest level of organization for the world’s best players. The legendary Garry Kasparov, one of the world’s greatest ambassadors for chess, inspired the Grand Chess Tour and helped solidify the partnership between the organizers.
The GCT is sponsored by the Superbet Foundation, Vivendi, Colliers International, Kasparovchess, Croatia Grand Chess Tour, and the Saint Louis Chess Club. All Grand Chess Tour 2021 events will comply with local and regional COVID-19 restrictions. For more information about the tour, please visit grandchesstour.org.
