The road-up for the 2024 Grand Chess Tour has been introduced, with teenage GMs Gukesh Dommaraju (17), Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu (18), and Nodirbek Abdusattorov (19) the three newcomers, changing GMs Richard Rapport, Jan-Krzysztof Duda, and World Champion Ding Liren. World number-two GM Fabiano Caruana tops the sphere, whereas world numbers one and three, GMs Magnus Carlsen and Hikaru Nakamura, are once more absent, however can nonetheless play as wildcards for particular person occasions.  

If there’s been one criticism leveled on the Grand Chess Tour down the years it has been a reluctance to introduce new expertise, as a substitute specializing in a small subject of the world’s top-rated expertise. That appears to have modified this yr, with three youngsters launched.   

In fact, it helps to incorporate younger gamers when the prodigies—India’s Gukesh and Praggnananadhaa, and Uzbekistan’s 2021 World Fast Champion Abdusattorov—are already knocking on the door of the world top-10.

Trying ahead with pleasure! https://t.co/8VMQm3jIss

— Gukesh D (@DGukesh) February 22, 2024

The gamers they changed struggled in 2023. Duda has dropped to world number-20, Rapport to twenty-eight, and Ding, regardless of the career-capping success of profitable the world championship title, dropped out of the 2023 Tour after a disappointing occasion in Bucharest simply after profitable the crown.

It is not all new, nevertheless, with six gamers again, together with tour winner Caruana, runner-up GM Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, and third-placed GM Wesley So, who all acquired computerized spots.

The ultimate locations went to GMs Ian Nepomniachtchi, Alireza Firouzja, and Anish Giri, with the organizers explaining their selection among the many gamers who did not qualify robotically with: “The remaining six have been invited primarily based on a variety of components, together with URS ranking, FIDE ranking, combating spirit, and sportsmanship.”

At least 5 of the gamers will likely be competing within the upcoming 2024 FIDE Candidates Chess Match in Toronto, however by the point the Tour begins we’ll already know who will problem Ding within the subsequent world championship match. As in earlier years, there are 5 occasions, with the 9 common gamers competiting in each classical tournaments ($375,000 prize fund every): the Superbet Romania Basic (June 24-July 6, Bucharest) and the Sinquefield Cup (August 17-31, St. Louis).

In addition they play in two of the three fast occasions ($175.000 prize fund every): the Superbet Poland Fast & Blitz (Might 6-13, Warsaw), the SuperUnited Croatia Fast & Blitz (July 8-15, Zagreb), and the Saint Louis Fast & Blitz (August 10-17). 

Wildcards will fill the remaining spots, with Carlsen enjoying—and profitable—two fast occasions in 2023, together with posting an unimaginable good 9/9 day of blitz in Zagreb. 

The whole prize fund has grown to $1.5 million, with a $100,000 bump within the prizes for total placement on the Tour.