After the sudden drastic move by Norway Chess to drop out of the Grand Chess Tour, the organizers have scrambled to find a replacement event. After failing to attract another major classical event, two new rapid / blitz events are introduced.
GRAND CHESS TOUR ANNOUNCES TWO NEW TOURNAMENTS ADDED FOR 2016 SEASON
World’s top players to compete in expanded tour with new events in Paris and Brussels-Leuven
– featuring rapid and blitz
SAINT LOUIS (February 10, 2016) – The Grand Chess Tour announces two new tournaments for its second season in 2016 with the world’s top players competing for one million dollars in a mixture of traditional, rapid and blitz events in four countries.
The 2016 Grand Chess Tour season will include rapid and blitz tournaments in Paris and Brussels-Leuven in addition to the Sinquefield Cup and London Chess Classic. The Grand Chess Tour is further establishing itself as the premier chess circuit in the world.
The field for 2016 will be announced in the near future. The three top finishers in the 2015 Grand Chess Tour will be invited as well as the five highest average rated players in 2015. Each tournament will award one wild card invite and the Grand Chess Tour will add another wild card invite rounding out the field to ten.
The Grand Chess Tour welcomes new sponsors Colliers International France and Your Next MoveTM. Colliers International France, a commercial real estate services organization will sponsor the Paris tournament. Your Next MoveTM, a Belgian non-profit, will sponsor the Brussels-Leuven tournament.
|
2016 Grand Chess Tour |
Location |
Date |
Prize Fund |
|
GCT Rapid and Blitz |
Paris, France |
June 8th – 14th |
$150,000 |
|
GCT Rapid and Blitz |
Brussels-Leuven |
June 15th – 21st |
$150,000 |
|
Sinquefield Cup |
Saint Louis, USA |
August 19th – September 2nd |
$300,000 |
|
London Chess Classic |
London, England |
December 7th – December 19th |
$300,000 |
|
Grand Chess Tour Prize Fund |
2016 |
$150,000 |
|
The overall 2016 GCT winner will receive a bonus prize of $100,000 and the second placed player $50,000 prize to make the prize fund $1,050,0000 across the four events.
The Grand Chess Tour combines the organizational efforts of the four elite events into a unified competitive structure. The partnership aims to raise worldwide awareness for each prestigious tournament, as well as for the tour.
Participating tournaments are identified as the gold standard for international event organization, setting the model for player conditions, prize funds and spectator experience. Each of the events will cater to live audiences, as well as offer streaming broadcasts complete with grandmaster commentary.
For more information, visit www.grandchesstour.com.
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