Carlsen, Firouzja and MVL head the field in CrunchLabs Masters

by ChessBase
7/16/2024 – Running from July 17 to July 24, the highly anticipated third event of the 2024 Champions Chess Tour will feature the world's top chess players competing for a $300,000 prize pool and a coveted spot in the CCT Finals. Fans can count on the presence of last year's Tour champion GM Magnus Carlsen, chess.com Classic winner Alireza Firouzja and elite GMs Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, Jan-Krzysztof Duda and Wesley So.

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The third event of the 2024 Champions Chess Tour

Information provided by chess.com

Running from July 17 to July 24, the highly anticipated third event of the 2024 Champions Chess Tour, in partnership with CrunchLabs, will feature the world's top chess players competing for a $300,000 prize pool and a coveted spot in the CCT Finals.

CrunchLab Masters 2024

CrunchLabs is an educational STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Math) subscription box company founded by former NASA engineer and YouTube sensation Mark Rober. CrunchLabs teaches you how to think, build, and play like an engineer through two different subscription boxes: Build Box, which packs DIY toys for kids aged 8-12, and Hack Pack, a robot-in-a-box kit designed for teens and adults.

Fans can count on the presence of last year's Tour champion GM Magnus Carlsen, who finished second in the previous CCT event. GM Alireza Firouzja, who made history by defeating Carlsen twice to win the Chess.com Classic, is also participating. Can Firouzja repeat his prowess against the world number one, or will Carlsen exact revenge on his unshakeable opponent?

The final player with a guaranteed spot in Division I is GM Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, who defeated world number nine GM Wesley So to win Division II of the 2024 Chess.com Classic. Other confirmed players include Polish number one GM Jan-Krzysztof Duda, So, super-GM Dmitry Andreikin, and GM Grigoriy Oparin, who will all start at a favorable spot to fight for a place in Division I.

CrunchLab Masters 2024

The CrunchLabs Masters is a highlight of the chess calendar. With a substantial prize pool and critical CCT points on the line, fans can expect high-stakes games and strategic brilliance from the world's best players.

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

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.

Chessable Masters 2024

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

Chessable Masters 2024

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.

Chessable Masters 2024

Division Play Format (Days 3-8)

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.

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