The FIDE World Chess Candidates Tournament will take place in Berlin, Germany, on March 10 — 28, 2018
September 11, 2017 — World Chess Candidates, a dramatic tournament that determines the challenger for the World Chess Championship Match, will take place in Berlin, Germany on March 10—28, 2018. Despite Berlin’s chess history and passion for the sport, it is the very first time that the Candidates Tournament takes place in the German capital.
Eight of the world's top grandmasters will come to Berlin to play in the tournament that will be held as a double round-robin over 14 games. The winner will contest the title currently held by Magnus Carlsen, the reigning World Champion, in November 2018.
The eight Candidates Tournament participants include Sergey Karjakin of Russia, who automatically qualified for the Candidates Tournament by playing in the 2016 World Chess Championship Match. He will be joined by the top two finishers in the World Chess Grand Prix Series; the winner and runner-up of the 2017 World Cup taking place in Tbilisi; two more players who qualify by rating; and a wild card choice.
The prize fund will total €420,000, or an estimated $460,000 at the current exchange rate. In addition to €420,000, the prize will also include 10% of the pay-per-view revenues from the event.
The Tournament will take place in Central Berlin, with tickets and digital subscriptions starting to sell on October 4, 2017. Pay-per-view tickets will include German and English commentary, advanced analytics, behind-the-scenes footage, options to choose camera angles, and more, costing $15 altogether.
“Over 23% of Germans play chess regularly; the sport is immensely popular in this country, and we are very pleased to hold the Tournament in Berlin and offer German fans a chance to witness this Tournament live for the first time! We are also developing custom commentary and experiences in German for local audience,” says Ilya Merenzon, CEO of World Chess, the organizer of the Championship cycle events and FIDE’s commercial partner. “We are looking forward to the event of the year in Berlin!” adds Merenzon.
“We are pleased to continue staging spectacular chess events in the world’s capitals. German chess federation is one of the largest in the world, and we are happy to support it by holding this exciting event in Germany,” says Georgios Makropoulos, FIDE Deputy President.
“We are happy to host the Candidates Tournament in Germany and will work with FIDE and World Chess to offer special experience to our members and to all chess fans in our country!” says Ullrich Krause, President of the German Chess Federation.
Leading brands continue to support the Championship cycle and will be represented in the Candidates Tournament: EG Capital Advisors, an international asset management company, as Official Partner; Kaspersky Lab as World Chess and FIDE Official Cybersecurity Partner; S.T. Dupont as Official Writing Instrument; and Isklar as Official Water.
Eugene Kaspersky, Chairman and CEO of Kaspersky Lab, says, “I am really looking forward to the Candidates Tournament in Berlin. The culmination of the cycle is getting closer, and I’m sure it'll be a very exciting competition of top-rank chess minds. Good luck to both the grandmasters and chess fans!”
The Tournament will be broadcasted exclusively on worldchess.com and on media partners’ sites.
Official hashtags of the Tournament are #candidates2018 and #berlinplayschess
Schedule of the Candidates Tournament:
March 9 Friday – Opening Ceremony
March 10 Saturday – Round 1
March 11 Sunday – Round 2
March 12 Monday – Round 3
March 13 Tuesday – Rest Day
March 14 Wednesday – Round 4
March 15 Thursday – Round 5
March 16 Friday – Round 6
March 17 Saturday – Rest Day
March 18 Sunday – Round 7
March 19 Monday – Round 8
March 20 Tuesday – Round 9
March 21 Wednesday – Rest Day
March 22 Thursday – Round 10
March 23 Friday – Round 11
March 24 Saturday – Round 12
March 25 Sunday – Rest Day
March 26 Monday – Round 13
March 27 Tuesday – Round 14/Closing Ceremony
March 28 Wednesday – Tie Breaks/Closing Ceremony
About FIDE:
The World Chess Federation or Fédération Internationale des Echecs, (FIDE), is recognized by its members and the International Olympic Committee as the international federation in the domain of chess, the supreme body responsible for the sport of chess and its Championships. FIDE has the sole rights to organize the World Chess Championships and the Chess Olympiads.
About World Chess:
World Chess is owned by Agon Limited, the official partner of the World Chess Federation (FIDE) and commercial rights holder to the World Chess Championship cycle. World Chess aims to develop and commercialize chess, create favorable environment for partners, players, and brands, and to significantly expand the broadcast coverage of the sport.
World Chess became the owner of the commercial rights in 2012. The company successfully managed the 2012-2013 Grand Prix cycle, the 2014 World Championship Match, and the 2015 Rapid and Blitz World Championships. The company operates the worldchess.com website, the official broadcasting platform of the Championship cycle.
About EG Capital Advisors:
EG Capital Advisors is an international holding providing retail and institutional clients with investment capabilities that span multiple assets classes including publicly listed equity securities, private equity, fixed income and real estate. With assets under management of over USD 3 bn, EG Capital Advisors offers fixed and customized investment solutions worldwide and deep expertise in emerging markets. Website: www.egcapitaladvisors.com
About Kaspersky Lab:
Kaspersky Lab is a global cybersecurity company celebrating its 20 year anniversary in 2017. Kaspersky Lab’s deep threat intelligence and security expertise is constantly transforming into security solutions and services to protect businesses, critical infrastructure, governments and consumers around the globe. The company’s comprehensive security portfolio includes leading endpoint protection and a number of specialized security solutions and services to fight sophisticated and evolving digital threats. Over 400 million users are protected by Kaspersky Lab technologies and we help 270,000 corporate clients protect what matters most to them. Learn more at www.kaspersky.com.
About S.T Dupont:
For nearly 145 years, S.T.Dupont master goldsmiths and silversmiths, lacquerers and trunk-makers have created unique and durable objects that are entirely crafted by hand and made in France for exceptional individuals. This legendary and unique know-how, combined with an entrepreneurial spirit true to founder Simon Tissot Dupont, contribute to perpetuating the international aura and recognition of a House that embodies Fine French Craftsmanship.
It is with great pride that S.T.Dupont preserves the know-how of its master craftsmen, who are heirs to skills passed down from generation to generation. The choice of connoisseurs from visionaries and artists to world leaders and royalty: Exceptional products for exceptional people since 1872. In the 21st century, the legend lives on, in perfect harmony with its roots and a future of promise.
