The Champions Chess Tour has been one of the highlights of the world of chess in 2023. Under Chess.com, the tour has six events which will conclude with the final on-site event this upcoming December.
The event will be ongoing from December 9 to December 16 where eight top players in the world compete for a $500,000 prize pool. Here’s all we know about the Champions Chess Tour 2023 Finals.
Where will the event be held?
For the first time since the Champions Chess Tour started in 2020, the finals will be in front of a live crowd. The event will take place in Toronto, Canada.
As of now, the ticketing information and the venue have not yet been revealed.
Who are the finalists of CCT 2023?
Throughout the Champions Chess Tour 2023, the players have to compete for eight final invites to the Finals. The final event features the champion of each of the tour’s events and the top players from the tour leaderboard.
Here are the top eight finalists competing in the Champions Chess Tour:
- GM Magnus Carlsen
- GM Nodirbek Abdusattorov
- GM Fabiano Caruana
- GM Hikaru Nakamura
- GM Wesley So
- GM Maxime Vachier-Lagrave
- GM Alireza Firouzja
- GM Denis Lazavik
Magnus Carlsen had won three events out of the six CCT events, securing his invite. Hikaru Nakamura received his invite after winning the Chessable Masters in March. Other champion invites include Nodirbek Abdusattorov who won the ChessKid Cup and Maxime Vachier-Lagrave who won the AI Cup.
Four other invites were chosen from the top player from the tour leaderboard. This includes Fabiano Caruana, Wesley So, Alireza Firouzja, and Denis Lazavik.
What is the format for the CCT 2023 Finals?
The finals will consist of a round-robin and a knockout stage.
The eight-player round-robin will have each player play a two-game match versus every other player. Two top players will advance to the semifinals of the knockout stage. On the other hand, the two bottom players will be eliminated.
Players who ended up in the 3rd to 6th place will advance to the Survival Stage. The Survival Stage will be a mine-double elimination, where two survivors will get the last two spots in the knockout stage.
The four players who advance to the knockout stage will play in a single elimination bracket. The matches will use a best-of-3 set format.
Where to watch the Champions Chess Tour 2023?
For those who cannot make it to the live event in Toronto, you can catch all the excitement from the comfort of your home. The games will be available on the official Chess Champions Tour’s website. You can also watch the live stream on their YouTube channel and their Twitch channel.
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