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These are the major events on the chess calendar in May 2019, with links to their official sites. When live games are available, we'll also add these along with any links to our News page coverage of each tournament.
The Russian Team Championship is the Premier League in Russia, but unlike the German League which is play over eight seven months or so, the Russian league is a 10-team single round-robin played in just a week. Now in its 26th edition, teams of eight players face off in six-board matches.
Stories on the Russian Team Championship
This traditional tournament in the Swedish city of Malmö is in its 25th edition this year. Unlike in 2018, when it was just six players, this year the tournament is expanded to an eight-player round-robin with Harikrishna, Ivan Saric, Nils Grandelius, Gawain Jones, Parham Maghsoodloo, Nihal Sarin, Tiger Hillarp and Liviu-Dieter Nisipeanu.
Going to play in @tepesigeman ,Malmo with interesting lineup.This is my first time in Sweden. Live Games https://t.co/tU4QVzQSXl
— Harikrishna (@HariChess) May 1, 2019
The 54th edition of this traditional tournament in Havana, Cuba, memorialising the third World Chess Champion Jose Raul Capablanca. This year Vassily Ivanchuk, Alexey Dreev and Adhiban Baskaran head the 6-player, double round-robin.
The Grand Chess Tour announced in January that it was expanding to Africa, and the first event of the new tour season will be held in Abidjan.
The field in Abidjan
The Polish Open and Women's Championships take place once again in the Warsaw Stock Exchange. Jan-Krzysztof Duda is the defending open champion.
Part of the International Mind Sports Association Championships, 16 men and 16 women will compete in three days of rapid chess and two days of blitz.
Stories on the IMSA World Masters
Promotional video by IMSA
The first of the new FIDE Grand Prix series of knockout tournaments. Organised by World Chess, 16 players battle in Moscow for a €130,000 prize fund plus qualify points for the 2020 Candidates Tournament.
Anish Giri | Photo: World Chess
All stories on the Moscow Grand Prix
A 2-day rapid tournament taking place in a novel location (it could actually be the setting of a novel!) — the Lindores Abbey Distillery in Scotland. Apparently monks once played chess in the there 500 years ago, and now a special whisky is in the works. Magnus Carlsen, Vishy Anand and Ding Liren are the players we know for now.
One of the priorities of the new administration of FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich was reforming the Women's World Championship cycle. One major result is the Candidates' tournament which will be held in Kazan, Russia. World number one Hou Yifan was qualified but declined to play, leaving these eight players to fight it out in a double round-robin tournament (14 rounds): Anna & Mariya Muzychuk, Kateryna Lagno, Alexandra Kosteniuk, Tan Zhongyi, Nana Dzagnidze and Valentina Gunina and Aleksandra Goryachkina.
Honorary FIDE Vice-President Judit Polgar assisted with the drawing of lots a few days ago
