The Magnus Carlsen Invitational

The Magnus Carlsen Invitational

The Magnus Carlsen Invitational from 18 April to 3 May features a $250,000 prize pot and will be broadcast on  chess24, with commentary in nine languages. The 29-year-old and his seven rivals, which include 16-year-old Iranian prodigy Alireza Firouzja, will battle it out in fast-paced “rapid play” format and are expected to join the commentary team when they are not in action.

• 8 players first compete in a single round-robin over 7 rounds
• Each match features four 15+10 rapid games, where the winner gets 3 match points & the loser 0
• If the match ends 2:2 an Armageddon game (5 vs. 4 minutes) is played, with the winner getting 2 points and the loser 1
• The top four players after Round 7 enter the Final Four knockout – if match points are equal, game points are the first tiebreaker
• The semi-finals, and final use a similar 4-game match system, except a 2:2 draw will be followed by two 5+3 blitz games, and if still drawn another two 5+3 games, and only then Armageddon

Carlsen describes it as an “historic moment” for a game which is versatile enough to be played on a wooden board, computer or phone. As the pandemic grips the world, he says he has a responsibility to players and fans “who need a distraction when no other live, competitive sport is being played”.

The time is right for a serious online alternative♟

A hand to @BritishGQ for this📰👏
I can’t wait for tomorrow!https://t.co/PxQCV9OQp2

— Magnus Carlsen (@MagnusCarlsen) April 17, 2020

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https://chess24.com/en/read/news/firouzja-beats-carlsen-to-win-the-banter-blitz-cup