FIDE World Rapid and Blitz Chess Championship 2024-2025 schedule, date, timings table, players entry list, format, prize money and live stream where to watch

Know all details about the upcoming FIDE World Rapid and Blitz Chess Championship 2024 along with the schedule, timings and format

As D Gukesh’s remarkable triumph at the World Chess Championship continues to resonate with Indian fans, the stage is being set for the next major global chess event. The year-ending FIDE World Rapid and Blitz Championships 2024 are scheduled to commence in New York from December 26 to January 1.

FIDE World Rapid And Blitz Chess Championship 2024-2025 schedule, date, timings table, players entry list, format, prize money and live stream telecast where to watch

Although Gukesh has opted to skip the event, a strong Indian contingent is gearing up for action. Among them, Arjun Erigaisi managed to secure his U.S. visa just in time to participate in the tournament. Other prominent names include R Praggnanandhaa, Raunak Sadhwani, Pranav V, Sandipan Chanda, Aravindh Chithambaram, Harsha Bharathakoti, Bharath Subramaniyam, Diptayan Ghosh, and K Venkataraman, all of whom will compete in the Open Blitz and Rapid.

Below are some of the top players registered for the FIDE World #RapidBlitz Championships! Will Carlsen win both tournaments for a third year in a row, or will someone else claim the titles? pic.twitter.com/oMMvAFVxMo

— chess24 (@chess24com) December 23, 2024

In the Women’s Blitz and Rapid sections, India will be represented by a formidable lineup featuring Koneru Humpy, Harika Dronavalli, Vaishali Rameshbabu, Divya Deshmukh, Vantika Agrawal, Sahithi Varshini M, Padmini Rout, and Priyanka Nutakki. This prestigious tournament will showcase over 300 players across the Open and Women’s categories, with defending champion Magnus Carlsen leading the field.

Carlsen will face tough competition from several heavyweights, including world number two Fabiano Caruana, a former World Championship contender, and world number three Hikaru Nakamura, renowned for his dominance in blitz chess. Adding to the intensity are other strong challengers like Alireza Firouzja, Ian Nepomniachtchi, Boris Gelfand, Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, and Alexander Grischuk.

The World Rapid Championship will kick off proceedings from December 26 to 29, featuring 13 rounds in the Open and 11 in the Women’s sections. Players will have 15 minutes per game with a 10-second increment per move, and the champion will be the one with the highest points at the end. Meanwhile, the World Blitz Championship will follow as a two-day event from December 31 to January 1.

It will comprise 13 rounds in the Open and 11 in the Women’s sections, with players allotted three minutes per game plus a two-second increment per move. The tournament boasts a total prize fund of 1 million USD (approximately INR 8.5 crore) for the Open sections, with 90,000 USD awarded to the first-place player in both categories. Prize money for the Women’s tournaments amounts to 428,500 USD (around INR 3.6 crore), with 60,000 USD allocated for each champion.

The matches will unfold at iconic New York locations near the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE). Notably, the Open Rapid and Blitz events will take place at Cipriani Wall Street, a landmark steeped in history, while the Women’s tournaments will be hosted at 48 Wall Street, a venue that once housed the Bank of New York & Trust Company and the Museum of American Finance.

You can watch every game of the FIDE World Rapid Team Chess Championship updated live, move-by-move on chess.com.

we examine the complete schedule of this tournament:

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