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Grand Chess Tour 2024: Full Schedule, format, and participants

Grand Chess Tour 2024, the ninth edition of the Grand Chess Tour, is a series of five tournaments with a total prize pool of USD 1.5 million, including two competitions, with classical and three tournaments with faster time controls - Blitz and Rapid.

The tour’s lineup features nine formidable players, including defending GCT champion Fabiano Caruana, the World Chess Championship 2023 runner-up Ian Nepomniachtchi, FIDE Candidates 2024 champion and WCC Challenger 2024 Gukesh D, the two-time GCT winner Wesley So, the 2022 GCT champion Alireza Firouzja, R Praggnanandhaa, Anish Giri, Nodirbek Abdusattorov and Maxime Vachier-Lagrave.

These nine players will play both the classical tournaments and two of the three rapid and blitz tournaments. Additionally, GCT will also offer wildcard entries to other top players.

Throughout the 2024 season, tour participants will vie for an increased prize pool of USD 1.5 million. Each of the two classical competitions will offer a USD 350,000 prize pool, while the rapid and blitz events will feature USD 175,000 per event. Additionally, a bonus prize fund totaling USD 275,000 will be distributed.

The GCT 2024 edition will kick off with the Poland Rapid and Blitz leg on May 8. Furthermore, this will be D Gukesh’s first event after winning the FIDE Candidates 2024 campaign in Canada.

GCT’s inaugural season was played in 2015 as a three-legged affair, with Magnus Carlsen emerging as the eventual champion.


Grand Chess Tour 2024: Full Schedule

May 6 to 13

Superbet Poland Rapid & Blitz in Warsaw, Poland

June 24 to July 6

Superbet Romania Classic in Bucharest, Romania

July 8 to 15

SuperUnited Croatia Rapid & Blitz in Zagreb, Croatia

August 10 to 17

Saint Louis Rapid & Blitz in Saint Louis, Missouri, USA

August 17 to 31

Sinquefield Cup in Saint Louis, Missouri, USA


Grand Chess Tour 2024: Format

The Grand Chess Tour 2024 will comprise of five competitions - two classical and three rapid & blitz, respectively. Rapid & Blitz competitions consist of two parts - rapid (two point for a win, one for a draw) and blitz (one point for a win, ½ for a draw). Eventually, the combined result for all portions will be counted in the final standings.


Grand Chess Tour 2024: Participants

Full Invitations: Fabiano Caruana, Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, D Gukesh, Wesley So, Ian Nepomniachtchi, Alireza Firouzja, Anish Giri, R Praggnanandhaa, and Nodirbek Abdusattorov.

Wild cards: Arjun Erigaisi, Vidit Gujrathi, Magnus Carlsen, Jan-Krzysztof Duda, Wei Yi, Vincent Keymer, Kirill Schevchenko, Bogdan Daniel Deac, Ivan Saric, Hikaru Nakamura, Levon Aronian, Leinier Dominguez, and Ding Liren.

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