Wikipedia

Champions Chess Tour 2021

(Redirected from Skilling Open)

The Champions Chess Tour 2021, known for sponsorship reasons as the Meltwater Champions Chess Tour,[1][2] was a 10-month long series of 10 online chess tournaments featuring the world's top players, playing for a prize money pool of US$1.5 million.[3] The tournament games are held on chess24.com and are broadcast on Twitch, YouTube, chess24.com itself, and the tour's official website.[3] The tour started on November 22, 2020, and lasted until October 4, 2021.[3] The tournaments were not rated by FIDE.

Champions Chess Tour 2021
Details
Duration22 November 2020 – 4 October 2021
Tournaments10
CategoriesRegular (6)
Major (3)
Final (1)
Achievements (singles)
Most titlesNorway Magnus Carlsen (4 titles)
Most finalsNorway Magnus Carlsen (6)
Points leaderNorway Magnus Carlsen (339)
← 2020
2022 →

Format

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There are 10 total tournaments in the tour: 6 labelled as Regular, 3 labelled as Major, and 1 Final. Each takes place towards the end of a month over the course of 9 days.[3]

Qualification

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According to the tour regulations, there are 16 spots in a Regular tournament, 12 spots in a Major tournament, and 10 spots in the Final tournament.[4] However, after the first Major tournament (Airthings Masters), it was concluded that 8 out of 12 players advancing to the knockout round rewarded cautious play, and the remaining Major tournaments (Magnus Carlsen Invitational and FTX Crypto Cup) were conducted with 16 players.[5]

For each of the Regular tournaments except for the first one, 8 of the 16 spots are given to the current top 8 players in the Tour Rankings. The rest of the spots are given out via wild cards, invitations, or popular votes.[4] The 16 spots for the first tournament of the tour are chosen via the decision of the event organizers.

For the Major tournaments, 8 of the spots are also given to the current top 8 players in the Tour Rankings. The winner of the preceding Regular tournament is also given a spot, if he or she is not already in the top 8. The rest of the spots are given via wild cards.

For the Final tournament, 8 of the 10 spots are given first to the winners of the 3 Major tournaments, then down the standings of the Tour Rankings. The final 2 spots are given to the best-performing "Tour Ambassadors."[4]

Schedule

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Dates Tournament Name Type
November 22–30, 2020 Skilling Open Regular
December 26, 2020 – January 3, 2021 Airthings Masters Major
February 6–14, 2021 Opera Euro Rapid Regular
March 13–21, 2021 Magnus Carlsen Invitational 2021 Major
April 24 – May 2, 2021 New In Chess Classic Regular
May 23–31, 2021 FTX Crypto Cup Major
June 26 – July 4, 2021 Goldmoney Asian Rapid Regular
July 31 – August 8, 2021 Chessable Masters Regular
August 28 – September 5, 2021 Aimchess US Rapid Regular
September 25 – October 4, 2021 Meltwater Champions Chess Tour Finals Final

Time controls

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Three different time controls are used in the tour:

  • In rapid games, each player has 15 minutes, plus a 10-second increment for each move.
  • In blitz games, each player has 5 minutes, plus a 3-second increment for each move.
  • In Armageddon games, white has 5 minutes, black has 4 minutes, there is no increment, and black wins the tie in case of a draw.

Tournament formats

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Regular

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The Regular tournaments consist of a preliminary round and 3 knockout rounds. In the preliminary round, the 16 players participate in a round-robin spanning 3 days (5 games per day), with each player playing the other players for 1 rapid game, for a total of 120 games. The top 8 players with the most points advance to the next round and are seeded for the purposes of making the bracket based on their points. In the event that 2 or more players are tied with points, the following system is used:[4]

  1. Points won in matches involving the tied players
  2. Number of wins
  3. Sonneborn–Berger score
  4. Koya score

In the knockout rounds, each matchup consists of 2 matches of 4 rapid games on back-to-back days. If either player wins one match and at least draws the other, he advances on to the next round. If each player wins one match or both matches are drawn, immediately following the second match, the players play 2 blitz games. If the blitz games are split, the winner is determined via an Armageddon game. The higher seed in each matchup picks the color for the first game, the first tiebreaker, and the Armageddon. In addition to the games between players who advanced, there is also a match for third place between the semifinal losers.[4]

Major

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The Major tournaments operate the same way as the Regular tournaments. It is still the top 8 players who qualify for the knockout rounds.

Final

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The Final only consists of one round-robin for the 10 players, spanning 9 days (1 matchup per day). Each matchup will comprise 4 rapid games. If the 4 points are split among the two players, then 2 blitz games are played, followed by Armageddon if the blitz games are split. 3 points are awarded for an outright win (no tiebreak needed), 2 points are awarded for a tiebreak win, and 1 point is awarded for a tiebreak loss.[4]

In addition to these points, the players start off with bonus points based on their Tour rankings coming into the Final. The player with the fewest Tour points gets 0 bonus points, and the other players are awarded half a point for every full 10 points they have more than the player with the least number. For example, if Player A has the fewest Tour points with 86, a Player B with 143 Tour points will be awarded 2.5 points, since they exceed Player A's total by 57 (no rounding).[4]

The player with the greatest sum of bonus points and points won in the Final will be crowned the Tour Champion.

Tour points

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For Regular tournaments, points are awarded as follows.[4]

Finish Points
Winner 40
Runner-up 25
3rd place 15
4th place 10

In other words, a player receives 10 points for winning in the quarterfinals, 15 points for winning in the semifinals, 15 points for winning the final and 5 points for winning the match for third place. The regulations were present for most of the tournament, excluding the Skilling Open tournament; in that tournament of the tour, the runner-up was awarded 20 points and the two remaining semi-finalists were each awarded 10 points, without a match for 3rd place.[6]

Additional points are also awarded to finishes in the preliminary round:

Finish Points
1st 10
2nd 8
3rd 6
4th 5
5th 4
6th 3
7th 2
8th 1
9th–16th 0

The points system for Major tournaments is the same, but all values are doubled.[4]

In the event that two players are tied for the same number of Tour points, the following tiebreak system will be used:[4]

  1. Number of tournament wins
  2. Number of tournament appearances (fewer is better)
  3. Number of final appearances
  4. Number of semi-final appearances
  5. Number of quarter-final appearances

The administrators of the tournament also have the right to substitute a tiebreak match if the tie is for a qualification spot.

Prize money

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Regular

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The total prize pool for a Regular tournament is $100,000. The money is split as follows:[4]

Finish Prize
Winner $30,000
Runner-up $15,000
3rd place $8,500
4th place $6,500
Quarterfinalist $5,000
Preliminary $2,500

The regulations were changed after the Skilling Open tournament; in this first tournament of the tour, the players who lost in the semifinals each received $7,500, without a match for 3rd place.[6]

Major

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The total prize pool for a Major tournament is $200,000. The money is split as follows:[4]

Finish Prize
Winner $60,000
Runner-up $40,000
3rd place $25,000
4th place $15,000
Quarterfinalist $10,000
Preliminary $5,000

Final

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The prize pool for the final is $300,000, which is split as follows:[4]

Finish Prize
1st $100,000
2nd $60,000
3rd $40,000
4th $30,000
5th $20,000
6th $15,000
7th $12,500
8th $10,000
9th $7,500
10th $5,000

Results

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Tournament results

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Dates Tournament Name Type Winner Runner-Up 3rd Place 4th Place
November 22–30, 2020 Skilling Open Regular   Wesley So   Magnus Carlsen   Hikaru Nakamura
  Ian Nepomniachtchi
December 26, 2020 – January 3, 2021 Airthings Masters Major   Teimour Radjabov   Levon Aronian   Maxime Vachier-Lagrave   Daniil Dubov
February 6–14, 2021 Opera Euro Rapid Regular   Wesley So

(2)

  Magnus Carlsen   Teimour Radjabov   Maxime Vachier-Lagrave
March 13–21, 2021 Magnus Carlsen Invitational Major   Anish Giri   Ian Nepomniachtchi   Magnus Carlsen   Wesley So
April 24 – May 2, 2021 New In Chess Classic Regular   Magnus Carlsen   Hikaru Nakamura   Shakhriyar Mamedyarov   Levon Aronian
May 23–31, 2021 FTX Crypto Cup Major   Magnus Carlsen (2)   Wesley So   Ian Nepomniachtchi   Teimour Radjabov
June 26 – July 4, 2021 Goldmoney Asian Rapid Regular   Levon Aronian   Vladislav Artemiev   Magnus Carlsen   Ding Liren
July 31 – August 8, 2021 Chessable Masters Regular   Wesley So

(3)

  Lê Quang Liêm   Vladislav Artemiev   Levon Aronian
August 28 – September 5, 2021 Aimchess US Rapid Regular   Magnus Carlsen (3)   Vladislav Artemiev   Levon Aronian   Alireza Firouzja[7]
September 25 – October 4, 2021 Meltwater Champions Chess Tour Finals Final   Magnus Carlsen (4)   Teimour Radjabov   Levon Aronian   Wesley So

Tour rankings

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The column labelled "Wins" indicates the number of tournament wins.

The column labelled "Apps" indicates the number of tournament appearances (including the ongoing tournament, if any).

The winners of the Major tournaments are invited to the Final tournament, as are the 5 players (or more if one player has won more than one Major) with the highest tour ranking among the remaining players. Two additional players are invited as wild cards. As the winners of the Major tournaments (Teimour Radjabov, Anish Giri and Magnus Carlsen) are guaranteed a place in the Final. An asterisk denotes a Major.

Pos Name Wins Apps Skilling Open Airthings Masters* Opera Euro Rapid Magnus Carlsen Invitational* New In Chess Classic FTX Crypto Cup* Goldmoney Asian Rapid Chessable Masters Aimchess US Rapid Total
1   Magnus Carlsen 3 8 30 20 35 50 50 86 20 48 339
2   Wesley So 3 9 46 16 46 32 5 58 4 50 4 261
3   Levon Aronian 1 9 4 56 5 2 14 0 50 18 21 170
4   Teimour Radjabov 1 6 3 88 17 0 1 24 133
5   Anish Giri 1 7 1 0 8 96 16 2 0 123
6   Ian Nepomniachtchi 0 5 15 10 0 58 32 115
7   Hikaru Nakamura 0 7 18 12 0 10 33 12 5 90
8   Vladislav Artemiev 0 3 33 19 35 87
9   Maxime Vachier-Lagrave 0 6 2 34 14 4 10 0 64
10   Lê Quang Liêm 0 4 0 2 28 0 30
11   Alireza Firouzja[a] 0 7 0 6 3 0 0 6 15 30
12   Shakhriyar Mamedyarov 0 5 0 21 0 2 3 26
13   Daniil Dubov 0 5 22 1 0 0 0 23
14   Fabiano Caruana 0 1 20 20
15   Ding Liren 0 4 0 0 0 16 16
16   Jan-Krzysztof Duda 0 5 0 3 0 3 2 8
17   Arjun Erigaisi 0 1 1 1
18   Jorden van Foreest 0 3 0 1 0 1
  Leinier Domínguez 0 3 0 0 1 1
20   Daniel Naroditsky 0 1 0 0
  Eric Hansen 0 1 0 0
  Awonder Liang 0 1 0 0
  Abhimanyu Mishra 0 1 0 0
  Ju Wenjun 0 1 0 0
  Koneru Humpy 0 1 0 0
  Eduardo Iturrizaga 0 1 0 0
  Hou Yifan 0 1 0 0
  Gukesh D 0 1 0 0
  Salem Saleh 0 1 0 0
  Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa 0 1 0 0
  Gawain Jones 0 1 0 0
  Johan-Sebastian Christiansen 0 1 0 0
  Sam Shankland 0 1 0 0
  Matthias Bluebaum 0 1 0 0
  Nils Grandelius 0 1 0 0
32   Pentala Harikrishna 0 2 0 0 0
  Adhiban Baskaran 0 2 0 0 0
  Aryan Tari 0 2 0 0 0
  Alan Pichot 0 2 0 0 0
37   Peter Svidler 0 3 0 0 0 0
  Alexander Grischuk 0 3 0 0 0 0
  Sergey Karjakin 0 3 0 0 0 0
40   David Antón Guijarro 0 4 0 0 0 0 0
41   Vidit Gujrathi 0 5 0 0 0 0 0 0

Tournaments

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Skilling Open

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The results of the preliminary round were as follows.[9]

Name ELO 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 Points
01   Magnus Carlsen (Norway) 2881 - ½ ½ 0 ½ 1 ½ ½ 1 ½ ½ 1 1 ½ 0 1 9
02   Hikaru Nakamura (United States) 2829 ½ - ½ 1 ½ ½ ½ ½ 1 0 ½ ½ 1 ½ 1 ½ 9
03   Wesley So (United States) 2741 ½ ½ - ½ 1 ½ ½ ½ 0 1 ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ 1 8½
04   Ian Nepomniachtchi (Russia) 2778 1 0 ½ - ½ 1 ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ 0 1 ½ 1 8½
05   Levon Aronian (Armenia) 2778 ½ ½ 0 ½ - 0 ½ 1 0 1 ½ 1 ½ ½ 1 1 8½
06   Teimour Radjabov (Azerbaijan) 2758 0 ½ ½ 0 1 - 1 ½ 1 ½ 0 ½ 0 ½ 1 1 8
07   Maxime Vachier-Lagrave (France) 2860 ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ 0 - ½ ½ 1 ½ ½ 1 0 ½ 1 8
08   Anish Giri (Netherlands) 2731 ½ ½ ½ ½ 0 ½ ½ - 0 1 ½ 1 ½ ½ 1 ½ 8
09   Alireza Firouzja (FIDE) 2703 0 0 1 ½ 1 0 ½ 1 - 0 1 ½ 1 ½ 1 0 8
10   Lê Quang Liêm (Vietnam) 2744 ½ 1 0 ½ 0 ½ 0 0 1 - ½ ½ 1 1 1 ½ 8
11   Ding Liren (China) 2836 ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ 1 ½ ½ 0 ½ - ½ 1 ½ ½ 0 7½
12   Vidit Gujrathi (India) 2636 0 ½ ½ ½ 0 ½ ½ 0 ½ ½ ½ - 1 1 0 ½ 6½
13   David Antón Guijarro (Spain) 2667 0 0 ½ 1 ½ 1 0 ½ 0 0 0 0 - 1 1 1 6½
14   Peter Svidler (Russia) 2742 ½ ½ ½ 0 ½ ½ 1 ½ ½ 0 ½ 0 0 - ½ ½ 6
15   Sergey Karjakin (Russia) 2709 1 0 ½ ½ 0 0 ½ 0 0 0 ½ 1 0 ½ - 1 5½
16   Jan-Krzysztof Duda (Poland) 2774 0 ½ 0 0 0 0 0 ½ 1 ½ 1 ½ 0 ½ 0 - 4½

The results of the knockout rounds were as follows.[10]

 
Quarterfinal (November 25–26)Semifinal (November 27–28)Final (November 29–30)
 
                
 
 
 
 
  Magnus Carlsen2½2-
 
 
 
  Anish Giri1½2-
 
  Magnus Carlsen2½2-
 
 
 
  Ian Nepomniachtchi 1½2-
 
  Levon Aronian2½10
 
 
 
  Ian Nepomniachtchi1½32
 
  Magnus Carlsen22½
 
 
 
  Wesley So221½
 
  Wesley So½2½1½*
 
 
 
  Teimour Radjabov2½1½1½
 
  Wesley So2½2-
 
 
 
  Hikaru Nakamura1½2-
 
  Maxime Vachier-Lagrave3½
1½
 
 
  Hikaru Nakamura12½1½*
 

* This player advanced by drawing as black in an Armageddon game.

Airthings Masters

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The results of the preliminary round were as follows.[11]

Name ELO 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 Points
01   Magnus Carlsen (Norway) 2881 - ½ 1 ½ ½ ½ ½ 1 ½ ½ ½ ½ 6½
02   Wesley So (United States) 2741 ½ - ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ 1 ½ ½ 1 ½ 6½
03   Hikaru Nakamura (United States) 2829 0 ½ - ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ 1 1 1 6½
04   Ian Nepomniachtchi (Russia) 2778 ½ ½ ½ - ½ ½ 1 1 ½ 0 ½ ½ 6
05   Teimour Radjabov (Azerbaijan) 2758 ½ ½ ½ ½ - ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ 1 6
06   Levon Aronian (Armenia) 2778 ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ - ½ ½ ½ ½ 1 0 5½
07   Maxime Vachier-Lagrave (France) 2860 ½ ½ ½ 0 ½ ½ - ½ ½ 1 0 ½ 5
08   Daniil Dubov (Russia) 2770 0 0 ½ 0 ½ ½ ½ - ½ ½ 1 1 5
09   Pentala Harikrishna (India) 2705 ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ - ½ 0 ½ 5
10   Alexander Grischuk (Russia) 2784 ½ ½ 0 1 ½ ½ 0 ½ ½ - ½ ½ 5
11   Anish Giri (Netherlands) 2731 ½ 0 0 ½ ½ 0 1 0 1 ½ - ½ 4½
12   David Antón Guijarro (Spain) 2667 ½ ½ 0 ½ 0 1 ½ 0 ½ ½ ½ - 4½

The results of the knockout rounds were as follows.[12]

 
Quarterfinal (December 29–30)Semifinal (Dec 31 - Jan 1)Final (January 2–3)
 
                
 
 
 
 
  Magnus Carlsen2½-
 
 
 
  Daniil Dubov22½-
 
  Daniil Dubov10-
 
 
 
  Teimour Radjabov32-
 
  Teimour Radjabov221½*
 
 
 
  Ian Nepomniachtchi221½
 
  Teimour Radjabov2½2-
 
 
 
  Levon Aronian1½1-
 
  Hikaru Nakamura1½0-
 
 
 
  Levon Aronian2½2-
 
  Levon Aronian32-
 
 
 
  Maxime Vachier-Lagrave11-3rd place (January 2–3)
 
  Maxime Vachier-Lagrave31½1½*
 
 
 
  Wesley So12½1½
 
  Daniil Dubov21½-
 
 
  Maxime Vachier-Lagrave22½-
 

* This player advanced by drawing as black in an Armageddon game.

Opera Euro Rapid

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Name ELO 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 Points
01   Magnus Carlsen (Norway) 2881 - ½ 0 1 ½ ½ ½ ½ 1 1 ½ 1 1 ½ 1 0 9½
02   Anish Giri (Netherlands) 2731 ½ - ½ ½ 1 ½ ½ ½ 0 ½ 1 1 ½ ½ 1 1 9½
03   Wesley So (United States) 2741 1 ½ - ½ 0 1 ½ 1 ½ 1 ½ ½ 0 ½ 1 ½ 9
04   Levon Aronian (Armenia) 2778 0 ½ ½ - 1 ½ ½ 0 ½ 1 1 ½ 1 ½ 0 1 8½
05   Maxime Vachier-Lagrave (France) 2860 ½ 0 1 0 - ½ ½ 1 ½ ½ ½ ½ 1 ½ ½ 1 8½
06   Jan-Krzysztof Duda (Poland) 2774 ½ ½ 0 ½ ½ - ½ 1 ½ ½ 0 ½ 0 1 1 1 8
07   Teimour Radjabov (Azerbaijan) 2758 ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ - ½ ½ 1 ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ 8
08   Daniil Dubov (Russia) 2770 ½ ½ 0 1 0 0 ½ - ½ 1 ½ 0 1 ½ ½ 1 7½
09   Hikaru Nakamura (United States) 2829 0 1 ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ - 0 0 ½ ½ ½ 1 1 7½
10   Sam Shankland (United States) 2609 0 ½ 0 0 ½ ½ 0 0 1 - ½ 1 ½ ½ 1 1 7
11   Ian Nepomniachtchi (Russia) 2778 ½ 0 ½ 0 ½ 1 ½ ½ 1 ½ - ½ 0 1 0 ½ 7
12   Vidit Gujrathi (India) 2636 0 0 ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ 1 ½ 0 ½ - 1 ½ ½ 0 6½
13   Leinier Domínguez (United States) 2786 0 ½ 1 0 0 1 ½ 0 ½ ½ 1 0 - 1 ½ 0 6½
14   Alexander Grischuk (Russia) 2784 ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ 0 ½ ½ ½ ½ 0 ½ 0 - ½ 1 6½
15   Matthias Bluebaum (Germany) 2562 0 0 0 1 ½ 0 ½ ½ 0 0 1 ½ ½ ½ - ½ 5½
16   Ding Liren (China) 2836 1 0 ½ 0 0 0 ½ 0 0 0 ½ 1 1 0 ½ - 5
 
Quarterfinal (February 9–10)Semifinal (February 11–12)Final (February 13–14)
 
                
 
 
 
 
  Magnus Carlsen2½½2
 
 
 
  Daniil Dubov½2½1
 
  Magnus Carlsen2½12
 
 
 
  Maxime Vachier-Lagrave½31
 
  Maxime Vachier-Lagrave2½2-
 
 
 
  Levon Aronian1½2-
 
  Magnus Carlsen21½-
 
 
 
  Wesley So22½-
 
  Wesley So2½2-
 
 
 
  Jan-Krzysztof Duda1½0-
 
  Wesley So2½2-
 
 
 
  Teimour Radjabov1½1-3rd place (February 13–14)
 
  Teimour Radjabov221½
 
 
 
  Anish Giri22½
 
  Maxime Vachier-Lagrave1½0-
 
 
  Teimour Radjabov2½2-
 

Magnus Carlsen Invitational

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Name ELO 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 Points
01   Magnus Carlsen (Norway) 2881 - 0 ½ ½ 1 ½ 1 ½ 1 ½ ½ 1 ½ 1 1 1 10½
02   Anish Giri (Netherlands) 2731 1 - 1 ½ 0 ½ ½ 1 ½ ½ ½ 1 ½ ½ 1 1 10
03   Wesley So (United States) 2741 ½ 0 - ½ 0 ½ ½ 1 1 1 ½ ½ 1 1 ½ 1 9½
04   Hikaru Nakamura (United States) 2829 ½ ½ ½ - ½ ½ ½ 1 ½ ½ ½ ½ 1 ½ ½ 1 9
05   Ian Nepomniachtchi (Russia) 2778 0 1 1 ½ - ½ 1 0 ½ 0 ½ 1 ½ 0 1 1 8½
06   Alireza Firouzja (FIDE) 2703 ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ - ½ ½ 0 ½ 1 1 1 ½ 0 1 8½
07   Maxime Vachier-Lagrave (France) 2860 0 ½ ½ ½ 0 ½ - ½ ½ ½ 1 1 ½ ½ 1 1 8½
08   Levon Aronian (Armenia) 2778 ½ 0 0 0 1 ½ ½ - 1 ½ ½ 0 ½ 1 1 1 8
09   Sergey Karjakin (Russia) 2709 0 ½ 0 ½ ½ 1 ½ 0 - ½ 1 0 1 1 1 ½ 8
10   Daniil Dubov (Russia) 2770 ½ ½ 0 ½ 1 ½ ½ ½ ½ - 0 ½ 1 0 1 ½ 7½
11   Teimour Radjabov (Azerbaijan) 2758 ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ 0 0 ½ 0 1 - ½ ½ ½ 1 ½ 7
12   Shakhriyar Mamedyarov (Azerbaijan) 2761 0 0 ½ ½ 0 0 0 1 1 ½ ½ - 1 1 0 ½ 6½
13   Nils Grandelius (Sweden) 2632 ½ ½ 0 0 ½ 0 ½ ½ 0 0 ½ 0 - 1 1 1 6
14   Jorden van Foreest (Netherlands) 2543 0 ½ 0 ½ 1 ½ ½ 0 0 1 ½ 0 0 - 1 ½ 6
15   David Antón Guijarro (Spain) 2674 0 0 ½ ½ 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 - 1 4
16   Alan Pichot (Argentina) 2548 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 ½ ½ ½ ½ 0 ½ 0 - 2½
 
Quarterfinal (March 16–17)Semifinal (March 18–19)Final (March 20–21)
 
                
 
 
 
 
  Magnus Carlsen2½2-
 
 
 
  Levon Aronian½1-
 
  Magnus Carlsen1½2½½
 
 
 
  Ian Nepomniachtchi2½1½1½
 
  Ian Nepomniachtchi22½-
 
 
 
  Hikaru Nakamura2½-
 
  Ian Nepomniachtchi220
 
 
 
  Anish Giri222
 
  Wesley So2½2½-
 
 
 
  Alireza Firouzja½½-
 
  Wesley So1½1½-
 
 
 
  Anish Giri2½2½-3rd place (March 20–21)
 
  Maxime Vachier-Lagrave21-
 
 
 
  Anish Giri23-
 
  Magnus Carlsen32-
 
 
  Wesley So11-
 

New In Chess Classic

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Name ELO 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 Points
01   Magnus Carlsen (Norway) 2881 - ½ ½ ½ ½ 1 1 ½ 1 1 ½ ½ 1 ½ 1 ½ 10½
02   Hikaru Nakamura (United States) 2829 ½ - 1 ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ 1 ½ ½ ½ ½ 1 1 9½
03   Shakhriyar Mamedyarov (Azerbaijan) 2761 ½ 0 - 0 ½ 1 0 ½ 1 1 1 ½ 1 1 ½ 1 9½
04   Wesley So (United States) 2741 ½ ½ 1 - ½ 0 ½ ½ ½ 1 1 1 0 1 0 1 9
05   Levon Aronian (Armenia) 2778 ½ ½ ½ ½ - 0 1 ½ ½ ½ ½ 1 1 ½ 1 ½ 9
06   Alireza Firouzja (FIDE) 2703 0 ½ 0 1 1 - ½ ½ 1 0 ½ ½ 0 1 1 1 8½
07   Lê Quang Liêm (Vietnam) 2744 0 ½ 1 ½ 0 ½ - ½ ½ ½ 1 1 0 ½ 1 1 8½
08   Teimour Radjabov (Azerbaijan) 2758 ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ - ½ 1 ½ 0 ½ ½ 1 1 8½
09   Leinier Domínguez (United States) 2786 0 ½ 0 ½ ½ 0 ½ ½ - 1 ½ 1 ½ ½ 1 1 8
10   Aryan Tari (Norway) 2531 0 0 0 0 ½ 1 ½ 0 0 - ½ 1 1 1 ½ 1 7
11   Vidit Gujrathi (India) 2636 ½ ½ 0 0 ½ ½ 0 ½ ½ ½ - ½ 1 0 1 1 7
12   Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa (India) 1781 ½ ½ ½ 0 0 ½ 0 1 0 0 ½ - 1 1 ½ 1 7
13   Jan-Krzysztof Duda (Poland) 2774 0 ½ 0 1 0 1 1 ½ ½ 0 0 0 - ½ 1 1 7
14   Sergey Karjakin (Russia) 2709 ½ ½ 0 0 ½ 0 ½ ½ ½ 0 1 0 ½ - 1 1 6½
15   Gawain Jones (England) 2615 0 0 ½ 1 0 0 0 0 0 ½ 0 ½ 0 0 - ½ 3
16   Johan-Sebastian Christiansen (Norway) 2521 ½ 0 0 0 ½ 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 ½ - 1½
 
Quarterfinal (April 27–28)Semifinal (April 29–30)Final (May 1–2)
 
                
 
 
 
 
  Magnus Carlsen22½-
 
 
 
  Teimour Radjabov21½-
 
  Magnus Carlsen23-
 
 
 
  Levon Aronian21-
 
  Levon Aronian32-
 
 
 
  Wesley So11-
 
  Magnus Carlsen32-
 
 
 
  Hikaru Nakamura12-
 
  Shakhriyar Mamedyarov32½-
 
 
 
  Alireza Firouzja1½-
 
  Shakhriyar Mamedyarov131
 
 
 
  Hikaru Nakamura3023rd place (May 1–2)
 
  Lê Quang Liêm1½1-
 
 
 
  Hikaru Nakamura2½2-
 
  Levon Aronian2½-
 
 
  Shakhriyar Mamedyarov22½
 

FTX Crypto Cup

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Name ELO 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 Points
01   Fabiano Caruana (United States) 2773 - 1 ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ 1 ½ 0 ½ 1 ½ 1 1 1 10
02   Anish Giri (Netherlands) 2731 0 - ½ ½ ½ ½ 1 ½ ½ ½ 1 0 1 ½ 1 1 9
03   Hikaru Nakamura (United States) 2829 ½ ½ - ½ ½ ½ ½ 1 ½ 1 0 1 ½ ½ ½ 1 9
04   Maxime Vachier-Lagrave (France) 2860 ½ ½ ½ - ½ 1 ½ 1 ½ 0 ½ ½ ½ ½ 1 1 9
05   Wesley So (United States) 2741 ½ ½ ½ ½ - ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ 1 1 1 9
06   Magnus Carlsen (Norway) 2881 ½ ½ ½ 0 ½ - 1 ½ 0 1 ½ ½ ½ 1 1 ½ 8½
07   Teimour Radjabov (Azerbaijan) 2758 ½ 0 ½ ½ ½ 0 - 1 ½ ½ ½ 1 1 ½ ½ 1 8½
08   Ian Nepomniachtchi (Russia) 2778 0 ½ 0 0 ½ ½ 0 - 1 ½ ½ ½ 1 1 1 1 8
09   Levon Aronian (Armenia) 2778 ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ 1 ½ 0 - 0 1 0 ½ ½ 1 1 8
10   Shakhriyar Mamedyarov (Azerbaijan) 2761 1 ½ 0 1 ½ 0 ½ ½ 1 - 0 ½ ½ 0 ½ 1 7½
11   Alireza Firouzja (FIDE) 2703 ½ 0 1 ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ 0 1 - ½ ½ 1 0 0 7
12   Peter Svidler (Russia) 2742 0 1 0 ½ ½ ½ 0 ½ 1 ½ ½ - ½ ½ 0 1 7
13   Ding Liren (China) 2836 ½ 0 ½ ½ ½ ½ 0 0 ½ ½ ½ ½ - ½ 1 1 7
14   Daniil Dubov (Russia) 2770 0 ½ ½ ½ 0 0 ½ 0 ½ 1 0 ½ ½ - ½ 1 6
15   Alexander Grischuk (Russia) 2784 0 0 ½ 0 0 0 ½ 0 0 ½ 1 1 0 ½ - 1 5
16   Alan Pichot (Argentina) 2548 0 0 0 0 0 ½ 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 - 1½
 
Quarterfinal (May 26–27)Semifinal (May 28–29)Final (May 30–31)
 
                
 
 
 
 
  Fabiano Caruana22½
 
 
 
  Ian Nepomniachtchi221½
 
  Ian Nepomniachtchi1½1-
 
 
 
  Wesley So2½2-
 
  Wesley So32-
 
 
 
  Maxime Vachier-Lagrave11-
 
  Wesley So221
 
 
 
  Magnus Carlsen222
 
  Hikaru Nakamura220
 
 
 
  Magnus Carlsen222
 
  Magnus Carlsen23-
 
 
 
  Teimour Radjabov21-3rd place (May 30–31)
 
  Teimour Radjabov2½2-
 
 
 
  Anish Giri1½2-
 
  Ian Nepomniachtchi22½-
 
 
  Teimour Radjabov21½-
 

Goldmoney Asian Rapid

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Name ELO 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 Points
01   Levon Aronian (Armenia) 2778 - ½ ½ 1 ½ ½ ½ 1 1 ½ ½ 1 1 ½ 1 ½ 10½
02   Vladislav Artemiev (Russia) 2757 ½ - 0 ½ 0 1 ½ 1 1 ½ ½ 1 ½ 1 1 1 10
03   Ding Liren (China) 2836 ½ 1 - ½ ½ 0 ½ ½ 1 ½ 1 ½ ½ 1 1 ½ 9½
04   Magnus Carlsen (Norway) 2881 0 ½ ½ - ½ ½ ½ ½ 0 1 1 ½ 1 1 ½ 1 9
05   Wesley So (United States) 2741 ½ 1 ½ ½ - 1 0 ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ 1 1 ½ 9
06   Jan-Krzysztof Duda (Poland) 2774 ½ 0 1 ½ 0 - ½ ½ 1 ½ ½ 1 1 0 0 1 8
07   Anish Giri (Netherlands) 2731 ½ ½ ½ ½ 1 ½ - ½ 1 ½ 0 ½ 1 ½ 0 ½ 8
08   Arjun Erigaisi (India) 2289 0 0 ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ - ½ 1 ½ ½ 1 ½ ½ 1 8
09   Alireza Firouzja (FIDE) 2703 0 0 0 1 ½ 0 0 ½ - ½ 1 1 ½ 1 1 1 8
10   Vidit Gujrathi (India) 2636 ½ ½ ½ 0 ½ ½ ½ 0 ½ - 1 0 0 ½ 1 1 7
11   Peter Svidler (Russia) 2742 ½ ½ 0 0 ½ ½ 1 ½ 0 0 - ½ ½ 0 1 1 6½
12   Gukesh D (India) 1927 0 0 ½ ½ ½ 0 ½ ½ 0 1 ½ - 0 1 ½ 1 6½
13   Daniil Dubov (Russia) 2770 0 ½ ½ 0 ½ 0 0 0 ½ 1 ½ 1 - 0 ½ 1 6
14   Salem Saleh (United Arab Emirates) 2718 ½ 0 0 0 0 1 ½ ½ 0 ½ 1 0 1 - 0 ½ 5½
15   Adhiban Baskaran (India) 2624 0 0 0 ½ 0 1 1 ½ 0 0 0 ½ ½ 1 - 0 5
16   Hou Yifan (China) 2621 ½ 0 ½ 0 ½ 0 ½ 0 0 0 0 0 0 ½ 1 - 3½
 
Quarterfinal (June 29–30)Semifinal (July 1–2)Final (July 3–4)
 
                
 
 
 
 
  Levon Aronian221½
 
 
 
  Arjun Erigaisi22½
 
   Levon Aronian1½32
 
 
 
  Magnus Carlsen2½10
 
  Wesley So1½2½½
 
 
 
  Magnus Carlsen2½1½1½
 
   Levon Aronian2½2-
 
 
 
   Vladislav Artemiev1½0-
 
  Ding Liren23-
 
 
 
  Jan-Krzysztof Duda21-
 
  Ding Liren2½1½½
 
 
 
  Vladislav Artemiev½2½1½3rd place (July 3–4)
 
  Anish Giri01-
 
 
 
  Vladislav Artemiev32-
 
  Magnus Carlsen 2½01½
 
 
   Ding Liren1½3½
 

Chessable Masters

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Name ELO 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 Points
01   Wesley So (United States) 2774 - 1 ½ ½ 1 ½ ½ ½ 1 1 ½ ½ 1 ½ 1 1 11
02   Levon Aronian (Armenia) 2761 0 - ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 10½
03   Alireza Firouzja (France) 2703 ½ ½ - ½ ½ 1 ½ ½ 1 ½ 1 0 1 1 1 1 10½
04   Hikaru Nakamura (United States) 2829 ½ ½ ½ - ½ ½ ½ ½ 1 1 1 1 ½ 1 1 ½ 10½
05   Vladislav Artemiev (Russia) 2757 0 ½ ½ ½ - ½ ½ ½ 1 1 0 1 1 1 ½ 1 9½
06   Lê Quang Liêm (Vietnam) 2744 ½ ½ 0 ½ ½ - 1 ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ 1 1 1 9
07   Shakhriyar Mamedyarov (Azerbaijan) 2761 ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ 0 - ½ 1 ½ ½ ½ 1 ½ 1 1 9
08   Jorden van Foreest (Netherlands) 2543 ½ 1 ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ - 0 ½ 0 ½ 1 1 1 ½ 8½
09   Adhiban Baskaran (India) 2624 0 0 0 0 0 ½ 0 1 - 1 1 ½ 1 ½ 1 ½ 7
10   Eduardo Iturrizaga (Spain) 2647 0 0 ½ 0 0 ½ ½ ½ 0 - ½ 1 ½ 1 1 1 7
11   Aryan Tari (Norway) 2531 ½ 0 0 0 1 ½ ½ 1 0 ½ - ½ 0 ½ ½ 1 6½
12   Pentala Harikrishna (India) 2705 ½ 0 1 0 0 ½ ½ ½ ½ 0 ½ - 0 1 0 1 6
13   David Antón Guijarro (Spain) 2674 0 0 0 ½ 0 ½ 0 0 0 ½ 1 1 - 0 1 1 5½
14   Ju Wenjun (China) 2610 ½ 0 0 0 0 0 ½ 0 ½ 0 ½ 0 1 - 1 1 5
15   Abhimanyu Mishra (United States) — 0 0 0 0 ½ 0 0 0 0 0 ½ 1 0 0 - ½ 2½
16   Koneru Humpy (India) 2483 0 0 0 ½ 0 0 0 ½ ½ 0 0 0 0 0 ½ - 2
 
Quarterfinal (August 3–4)Semifinal (August 5–6)Final (August 7–8)
 
                
 
 
 
 
  Wesley So22½-
 
 
 
  Jorden van Foreest2½-
 
  Wesley So2½2-
 
 
 
  Vladislav Artemiev1½2-
 
  Vladislav Artemiev222
 
 
 
  Hikaru Nakamura221
 
  Wesley So2½2-
 
 
 
  Lê Quang Liêm½2-
 
  Alireza Firouzja10-
 
 
 
  Lê Quang Liêm32-
 
  Lê Quang Liêm31½2
 
 
 
  Levon Aronian12½13rd place (August 7–8)
 
  Shakhriyar Mamedyarov½1-
 
 
 
  Levon Aronian2½2-
 
  Vladislav Artemiev22½-
 
 
  Levon Aronian2½-
 

Aimchess US Rapid

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Name ELO 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 Points
01   Vladislav Artemiev (Russia) 2757 - ½ 1 ½ 1 ½ ½ ½ ½ 1 ½ ½ ½ 1 1 1 10½
02   Magnus Carlsen (Norway) 2881 ½ - ½ 0 1 ½ ½ ½ ½ 1 ½ 1 1 ½ 1 1 10
03   Levon Aronian (Armenia) 2761 0 ½ - ½ ½ ½ ½ 1 ½ 1 0 ½ 1 1 1 1 9½
04   Alireza Firouzja (France) 2696 ½ 1 ½ - ½ ½ ½ 1 ½ 1 0 ½ 1 ½ 1 ½ 9½
05   Wesley So (United States) 2774 0 0 ½ ½ - ½ 1 1 ½ ½ 1 0 ½ 1 1 1 9
06   Shakhriyar Mamedyarov (Azerbaijan) 2756 ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ - ½ 1 ½ ½ ½ 1 0 1 ½ 1 9
07   Jan-Krzysztof Duda (Poland) 2775 ½ ½ ½ ½ 0 ½ - 0 ½ 1 ½ 1 1 1 ½ 1 9
08   Leinier Domínguez (United States) 2786 ½ ½ 0 0 0 0 1 - ½ ½ 1 1 1 0 1 1 8
09   Anish Giri (Netherlands) 2744 ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ - ½ ½ ½ ½ 1 ½ ½ 8
10   Maxime Vachier-Lagrave (France) 2817 0 0 0 0 ½ ½ 0 ½ ½ - ½ 1 1 1 1 1 7½
11   Vidit Gujrathi (India) 2636 ½ ½ 1 1 0 ½ ½ 0 ½ ½ - ½ 0 1 ½ ½ 7½
12   Daniel Naroditsky (United States) 2639 ½ 0 ½ ½ 1 0 0 0 ½ 0 ½ - 1 1 ½ 0 6
13   Lê Quang Liêm (Vietnam) 2744 ½ 0 0 0 ½ 1 0 0 ½ 0 1 0 - ½ 1 1 6
14   Jorden van Foreest (Netherlands) 2563 0 ½ 0 ½ 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 ½ - 1 1 4½
15   Eric Hansen (Canada) 2579 0 0 0 0 0 ½ ½ 0 ½ 0 ½ ½ 0 0 - 1 3½
16   Awonder Liang (United States) 2397 0 0 0 ½ 0 0 0 0 ½ 0 ½ 1 0 0 0 - 2½
 
Quarterfinal (Aug 31 - Sep 1)Semifinal (September 2–3)Final (September 4–5)
 
                
 
 
 
 
  Vladislav Artemiev23-
 
 
 
  Leinier Domínguez21-
 
  Vladislav Artemiev222
 
 
 
  Alireza Firouzja221
 
  Wesley So½2½½
 
 
 
  Alireza Firouzja2½1½1½
 
  Vladislav Artemiev1½½-
 
 
 
  Magnus Carlsen2½2½-
 
  Levon Aronian32-
 
 
 
  Shakhriyar Mamedyarov11-
 
  Levon Aronian21-
 
 
 
  Magnus Carlsen23-
 
  Jan-Krzysztof Duda½½-
 
 
  Magnus Carlsen2½2½-
 

Tour Final

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Teimour Radjabov, Anish Giri and Magnus Carlsen qualified by winning a Major tournament, while Wesley So, Levon Aronian, Hikaru Nakamura and Vladislav Artemiev qualified for the finals via the tour standings. Maxime Vachier-Lagrave replaced Ian Nepomniachtchi, while Shakhriyar Mamedyarov and Jan-Krzysztof Duda got a wildcard spot. Every player, except for Duda, starts with extra points according to their Tour standings.[b]

Name ELO 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 Bonus Points Total
01   Magnus Carlsen (Norway) 2842 - 0 0 3 3 0 2 2 3 2 16½ 15 31½
02   Teimour Radjabov (Azerbaijan) 2747 3 - 3 3 1 1 1 3 3 3 6 21 27
03   Levon Aronian (Armenia) 2761 3 0 - 3 0 3 3 1 0 3 8 16 24
04   Wesley So (United States) 2766 0 0 0 - 1 3 2 0 2 3 12½ 11 23½
05   Hikaru Nakamura (United States) 2836 0 2 3 2 - 2 1 2 3 2 4 17 21
06   Vladislav Artemiev (Russia) 2755 3 2 0 0 1 - 3 2 0 3 3½ 14 17½
07   Anish Giri (Netherlands) 2712 1 2 0 1 2 0 - 3 0 0 5½ 9 14½
08   Maxime Vachier-Lagrave (France) 2773 1 0 2 3 1 1 0 - 3 0 2½ 11 13½
09   Jan-Krzysztof Duda (Poland) 2801 0 0 3 1 0 3 3 0 - 2 0 12 12
10   Shakhriyar Mamedyarov (Azerbaijan) 2727 1 0 0 0 1 0 3 3 1 - ½ 9 9½

Qualifiers

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Chessable Qualifier

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Chessable Qualifier was held from 17 to 18 October 2020, and was a qualification tournament for Skilling Open, the first event of the Champions Chess Tour.

Name ELO 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 Points
01   Peter Svidler (Russia) 2742 - ½ ½ 1 1 1 1 5
02   Rauf Mamedov (Azerbaijan) 2691 ½ - 1 0 1 1 1 4½
03   S. L. Narayanan (India) 2436 ½ 0 - ½ ½ 1 1 3½
04   Sam Shankland (United States) 2609 0 1 ½ - ½ 0 1 3
05   Matthias Bluebaum (Germany) 2561 0 0 ½ ½ - 1 1 3
06   Grigoriy Oparin (Russia) 2736 0 0 0 1 0 - ½ 1½
07   Gawain Jones (England) 2609 0 0 0 0 0 ½ - ½

Magnus Carlsen Invitational Qualifier

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Name ELO 01 02 03 04 Points
01   Alan Pichot (Argentina) 2548 - ½ ½ 1 ½ ½ 1 4
02   Nils Grandelius (Sweden) 2632 ½ ½ - 1 ½ 0 1 3½
03   Aryan Tari (Norway) 2531 0 ½ 0 ½ - 1 1 3
04   Max Warmerdam (Netherlands) 2412 ½ 0 1 0 0 0 - 1½

Julius Baer Challengers Chess Tour

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Coverage

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Chess24.com provided free live coverage of every tournament, with commentary in 10 different languages.[13] They were broadcasting on their website, on the official tour website, and on Twitch. Various other chess streamers also provided live commentary.

Sponsorship

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Julius Baer and Opera were two listed sponsors of the event.[14] Skilling sponsored the first tournament,[15] while Airthings sponsored the second tournament.[14] Cryptocurrency Company FTX sponsored the FTX Crypto Cup, providing 2.18 Bitcoin in the prize fund, worth $100,000 at the time of purchase. The Tour was also funded by offering Premium and VIP Tour Passes, services that offered perks such as voting on the wild cards, memberships for Chess24.com, and interaction opportunities with top chess players.[16]

On January 3, 2021, Meltwater was announced as the title partner for the tour, which was accordingly renamed the Meltwater Champions Chess Tour.[1][2]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Meltwater revealed as new title partner for Champions Chess Tour". chess24.com. Retrieved 2021-01-04.
  2. ^ a b "Meltwater becomes title partner of Champions Chess Tour". Meltwater. 2021-01-03. Retrieved 2021-01-04.
  3. ^ a b c d "Champions Chess Tour". championschesstour.com. Retrieved 2020-12-29.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m "Tour Regulations, what's new?". Archived from the original on 2021-02-12. Retrieved 2022-02-22.
  5. ^ Crowther, Mark (March 11, 2021). "Magnus Carlsen Invitational 2021". The Week in Chess. Retrieved July 4, 2021.
  6. ^ a b "Tour Regulations, what's new?". Archived from the original on 2020-12-05. Retrieved 2020-12-29.
  7. ^ "Aimchess U.S. Rapid Final: Carlsen Leads Despite Mouse Slip". Chess.com. Archived from the original on 2021-09-04. Retrieved 2021-09-05.
  8. ^ "Alireza Firouzja is now the French no. 1". chess24.com.
  9. ^ "Skilling Open – Prelims Standings (detailed)".
  10. ^ "Skilling Open – Finals Bracket".
  11. ^ "Airthings Masters – Prelims Standings (detailed)".
  12. ^ "Airthings Masters – Finals Bracket".
  13. ^ "Giri, Anish vs. Vachier-Lagrave, Maxime | Skilling Open | Prelims | 2020" (in German).
  14. ^ a b "Champions Chess Tour Partners". championschesstour.com. Retrieved 2020-12-29.
  15. ^ "Champions Chess Tour About Skilling". championschesstour.com. Retrieved 2020-12-29.
  16. ^ "Champions Chess Tour Tour Pass". championschesstour.com. Retrieved 2020-12-29.

Notes

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  1. ^ Firouzja previously played under the FIDE flag as a neutral competitor from December 2019 to July 2021, which spanned from the Skilling Open to the Goldmoney Asian Rapid in the Champions Chess Tour. Firouzja started playing under the French flag in July 2021.[8]
  2. ^ Every player gets an extra 0.5 point for every 10 Tour points ahead of player with least Tour points (in this case, Jan-Krzysztof Duda)
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