Photo by Mark Livshitz
For its highly anticipated third edition in 2023, the world’s strongest Swiss-system event is making a triumphant return to the Isle of Man from October 23 to November 6.
As of July 2023, 100 players have already confirmed their participation in the Grand Swiss and 40 players in the Women’s Grand Swiss. Apart from their share of the USD 600,000 combined prize fund, the top two finishers in each event will earn qualification for the prestigious 2024 FIDE Candidates Tournaments.
The impressive list of participants includes Alireza Firouzja, the winner of Grand Swiss 2021, as well as Fabiano Caruana, who has been a runner-up twice in this event. The world’s number 2, Hikaru Nakamura, and the world’s number 7, Anish Giri, will also be taking part, along with many other prominent Grandmasters, the likes of Rapport, Gukesh D, and Aronian.
On the women’s side, Aleksandra Goryachkina, ranked 3rd in the world, and Humpy Koneru, ranked 5th, will lead the starting list. The event will also feature Harika Dronavalli, who won the best woman trophy in the 2019 edition, Grandmasters Alexandra Kosteniuk, Tan Zhongyi, and sisters Muzychuk.
It’s important to note that the lineups are not yet final. More spots will be filled with wild cards and additional qualifications from the World Cup, set to begin on July 29 in Azerbaijan. FIDE will invite up to three players from those who reach the Round of 16 in the World Cup, and up to two players from the Women’s World Cup Round of 16. Moreover, one spot in each event will be offered to the top-rated players who were previously unqualified, according to the September 1 FIDE rating list. Only players who played at least 10 rated games counted in any of the 12 standard rating lists from July 2022 to June 2023 or appeared “active” in all 6 FIDE standard rating lists from January to June 2023 are eligible. The lineups are expected to be finalised in September and comprise 114 players in Grand Swiss and 50 in the Women’s Grand Swiss.
You can find the current player lists by the links below.
Open: https://chess-results.com/tnr793016.aspx
Women: https://chess-results.com/tnr793017.aspx
Lei Tingjie, the winner of Women’s Grand Swiss 2021. Photo by Anastasiya Karlovich
About Grand Swiss
The Grand Swiss tournament was initially organized in 2019 on the Isle of Man, introducing a revolutionary path to enter the World Championship race through a Swiss-system tournament that brought together all the top chess players and granted qualifications to the FIDE Candidates Tournament.
Due to Covid-related restrictions, the Isle of Man was unable to host the 2021 edition, which was relocated to Riga, Latvia. The Women’s Grand Swiss was added to the event for the first time.
For its 2023 edition, the world’s strongest Swiss-system event returns to the Isle of Man, made possible by sponsorship from the Scheinberg Family.
These tournaments’ inclusive nature offers a golden opportunity for underdogs in their pursuit of the chess crown. In the 2019 edition, the Chinese grandmaster Wang Hao, initially ranked 15th in the starting list, emerged victorious among 154 players, sharing first place with Caruana and securing the trophy due to better tiebreaks. Kirill Alekseenko, who finished third and qualified for a Candidates’ wild card, which he eventually received, started with an initial rank of 38th.
In 2021, clear winner Alireza Firouzja and runner-up Fabiano Caruana earned two coveted tickets to the Candidates. Lei Tingjie emerged triumphant in the women’s tournament, securing a pass to the Women’s Candidates.
With two Candidates’ seats at stake in each event, the 2023 Grand Swiss and Women’s Grand Swiss undoubtedly stand out as the most significant Swiss tournaments of the year. Apart from the opportunity to qualify for the Candidates, a substantial pool of players has the chance to claim a piece of the impressive USD 600,000 combined prize fund, with 46 prizes set for the Grand Swiss and 23 prizes for the Women’s Grand Swiss. It is worth mentioning that all participants enjoy accommodation, meals, and travel allowances.