Lastly, it comes all the way down to this. GM Magnus Carlsen and GM Hikaru Nakamura, the 2 largest names in chess, go head-to-head with the highest gamers of 2023 as Chess.com’s $2 million Champions Chess Tour reaches its grand finale subsequent month.

For the primary time, the eight-player Tour Finals—the final act of the best season-long event in chess—will probably be held absolutely in particular person and over the board from December 9 to 16. It’s the occasion chess followers have been ready for. 

The winner will probably be topped Tour Champion 2023 and decide up the $200,000 first prize along with winnings already earned. In complete, $500,000 is on supply on the Tour Finals. Toronto, Canada, has been named because the host metropolis.

Carlsen, the world number-one and reigning Tour champion, and Nakamura, the world’s prime chess streamer, have dominated the 2023 season to date and their rivalry has been a pleasure to look at. However they face stiff competitors from a world class area.

Nakamura is joined by two extra American stars: the present world number-two and new U.S. champion Fabiano Caruana and three-time U.S. champion GM Wesley So. Uzbek sensation GM Nodirbek Abdusattorov, the rising star who gained this 12 months’s ChessKid Cup and completed second on the general Tour leaderboard, takes his place on the prime desk.

This 12 months’s shock bundle, the “tough Frenchman” GM Maxime Vachier-Lagrave will probably be aiming to proceed his beautiful return to type after he beat Carlsen twice to win the final occasion, the AI Cup.

He’s joined by Iranian-born GM Alireza Firouzja, who additionally represents France, and the youngest within the area at 17, this 12 months’s breakout star GM Denis Lazavik. The teen had a powerful end to the common Tour season to e-book his place within the Tour finale.

Carlsen qualifies for the Finals having gained three of the six occasions on Tour: the Airthings Masters, the Aimchess Speedy, and the Julius Baer Technology Cup. Up to now, he has taken $125,000 in prize cash. The 32-year-old Norwegian goes for a hat-trick of Tour wins having gained in 2021 and 2022.

Nakamura, in the meantime, completed runner-up to Carlsen within the Airthings Masters earlier than beating Caruana in April to win the Chessable Masters, an occasion through which Carlsen completed third. He’s widely-considered Carlsen’s important risk.

The Finals begin on December 9 with an eight-player round-robin lasting three days. Matches will probably be performed over a better of three units format, with every set consisting of 4 video games with armageddon if wanted.

All video games besides armageddon video games will probably be performed utilizing the 15+3 fast chess time management and will probably be FIDE-rated. Following the conclusion of the round-robin, the highest two gamers will advance to the knockout stage whereas the underside two will probably be eradicated.

The remaining six positioned 3 to six will battle it out for the 2 remaining spots within the semis in a double-elimination “Survival Stage” on December 12. The only-elimination knockout performed over a best-of-three units format begins with the semis scheduled for December 13 and 14.

The winners will face one another within the two-day grand remaining beginning on December 15.

The Tour Champion 2023 will probably be topped on December 16. ONE Resort Toronto will host the Finals with reside commentary on website and from Chess.com’s studio in Oslo. You’ll be able to watch the Champions Chess Tour Finals 2023 on Chess.com/TV, our Twitch channel and catch all our reside broadcasts on YouTube.com/Chess. The video games may also be adopted from our Occasions Web page.

The Champions Chess Tour 2023 (CCT) is the largest on-line event of the 12 months. It’s comprised of six occasions that span all the 12 months and culminate in reside in-person finals. With the most effective gamers on the planet and a prize fund of $2,000,000, the CCT is Chess.com’s most essential occasion.