Oh, Mexico! It sounds so good, they just all want to go…but who will it be? After a competitive week that saw a record-breaking 1,838 players taking part in the 6 ICC Mexico City qualifiers, the massive field has now been whittled down to the final 32 players!
And of the 32 battling it out in this weekend’s final on ICC, the charge is led by 10 grandmasters, 12 International Masters and 2 FIDE Masters. Heading the field is the Armenian ace GM Gabriel Sargissian, and he’ll faces stiff opposition from his fellow GMs such as Rauf Mamedov, Mark Paragua, Ehsan Ghaem Maghami and Daniel Fridman. The full 32-player list can be found by clicking here.
The main prize put up by ICC and their partners for this unique qualifier, the organizers of the forthcoming World Championships in Mexico City, will be a VIP ringside seat (September 13 until September 17) to watch all the action involving Kramnik, Anand, Morozevich, Aronian, Grischuk, Leko, Svidler and Gelfand.
The package for the overall winner includes: $1500 USD (to be paid out only on arrival in Mexico) to cover their airfares and other expenses. Also included in the package is 4 nights (13-17 Sept.) at a top hotel in Mexico City, plus VIP tickets for the World Championships, and free entry into the “Copa Internacional de la Cd. De Mexico” Open.
The thrills ‘n’ spills of the finals can be watched on ICC from 14:00 Server Time on both days of Saturday, 11 August, and Sunday, 12 August.
Contact: John Henderson jbhthescots@chessclub.com
I wanna qualify!
Why Sargissian is playing? As Aronian’s second and friend he is going to be in Mexico city anyways. And I am sure Aronian wasn’t going to place him in tent