The first tournament of the 2024 CCT
Information provided by chess.com
The 2024 Chessable Masters is the first of four Champions Chess Tour events and determines one of the players who’ll make it to the in-person CCT Finals. The event starts on January 31 at 11:00 ET/17:00 CET and features a $300,000 prize fund.
The following players have already earned spots in the Chessable Masters Division I based on their performance in last year’s last CCT event, the AI Cup:
- GM Maxime Vachier-Lagrave (AI Cup Division I winner)
- GM Magnus Carlsen (AI Cup Division I runner-up)
- GM Vladimir Fedoseev (AI Cup Division II winner)
The players below have earned a spot in the second round of Division I Placement also based on their results in the 2023 AI Cup:
- GM Ian Nepomniachtchi (Division I third place)
- GM Anish Giri (Division I fourth place)
- GM Vladislav Artemiev (Division II second place)
- GM Sam Sevian (Division III first place)
Format
Champions Chess Tour Format
The CCT features four online events and live, in-person Finals. The winner of the CCT Finals becomes the Champions Chess Tour champion. Players can qualify for the CCT Finals by winning the online events or through the CCT Leaderboard, described later.
Chessable Masters Format
Let us learn together how to find the best spot for the queen in the early middlegame, how to navigate this piece around the board, how to time the queen attack, how to decide whether to exchange it or not, and much more!The 2024 Chessable Masters consists of three phases: Play-in, Division Placement, and Division Play. The event is open to all grandmasters, with non-grandmaster titled players also being able to qualify through the January 26 qualifier.
Play-In Format (Day 1)
Grandmasters and qualified players compete to get a favorable placement in the Division Placement phase. Players’ results in the Play-in determine how high they can go and how easy it is for them to make it to a better division.
- Nine-round Swiss
- The time control is 10+2
- The top 69 players earn a spot in the Division Placement phase
Division Placement Format (Day 2)
In the Division Placement phase, the 69 players who made it from the Play-in join the four pre-seated players. The pre-seated players are determined based on the results of the last CCT event (AI Cup). Players compete to get to the highest division possible.
- The Division Placement phase consists of two rounds, the first being a two-game match and the second a four-game match.
- Players who lose a match get bumped down to a lower division in Division Play (Division Placement III players get eliminated).
- Players who win all their Division Placement matches play in the equivalent division during Division Play.
- The time control is 10+2.
- A bidding armageddon game decides the winner if any match ends in a tie.
Division Play Format (Days 3-8)
In this two-part course the emphasis will be on typical pawn-structures.Players compete for prize money, promotion to a higher division in the next CCT event, and a spot at the CCT Finals.
- Double-elimination brackets.
- Division I: eight players.
- Division II: 16 players.
- Division III: 32 players.
- Winner Bracket matches consist of four games.
- Losers Bracket matches consist of two games.
- Grand Final Reset match (if needed) consists of two games.
- The time control is 10+2.
- A bidding armageddon game decides the winner if any match ends in a tie.
Prizes
Top Women Cash Prizes
- 1st: $500
- 2nd: $300
- 3rd: $200
Other Cash Prizes
- Top senior: $500
- Best brilliant move: $500
- Best game: $500
- Players eliminated from Division III Placement: $500
Qualification Prizes
Players also earn spots at future CCT events according to their results.
- Division I
- Winner qualifies to the CCT Finals.
- Winner and runner-up qualify directly to the next CCT event’s Division I.
- Division II
- Winner qualifies directly to the next CCT event’s Division I.
- Division III
- Winner qualifies directly to the next CCT event’s Division II.
Let our authors show you how Carlsen tailored his openings to be able to outplay his opponents strategically in the middlegame or to obtain an enduring advantage into the endgame.
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