2021 Speed Chess Championship Grand Prix: All The Information
The 2021 Speed Chess Championship Grand Prix is part of the 2021 Speed Chess Championship and one of the qualification events for the 2021 Speed Chess Championship's Main Event.
Four different one-day tournaments comprise the Grand Prix, starting on September 18 at 10 a.m. PT/19:00 CEST. The event brings together titled players to compete in a series of blitz games, fighting for their share of the $40,000 prize fund and one of the spots in the SCC Main Event.
- Broadcast
- Standings
- Schedule
- Format
- Grand Prix Points
- Prizes
- How To Play In The Event
- Identification Requirements And Fair Play
Broadcast
You can watch the event live with expert commentary on Chess.com/TV or on our Twitch and YouTube channels.
Standings
Schedule
Below you can see details about the dates and starting times for each tournament in the Grand Prix.
- September 18 at 10 a.m. PT/19:00 CEST: Week 1
- September 25 at 10 a.m. PT/19:00 CEST: Week 2
- October 2 at 10 a.m. PT/19:00 CEST: Week 3
- October 9 at 10 a.m. PT/19:00 CEST: Week 4
Format
Four separate one-day tournaments comprise the 2021 Speed Chess Championship Grand Prix. Players receive grand prix points according to their final placement after each tournament (described in the Grand Prix Points section). The player with the highest overall score at the end of the Grand Prix qualifies for the 2021 Speed Chess Championship Main Event.
Below you can see the format for these tournaments:
- Games will be in the 3|1 time control;
- Each event begins with a 10-round Swiss tournament;
- The top 8 players from the Swiss tournament advance to a knockout stage, with standard Chess.com Swiss tiebreakers breaking ties;
- During the knockout stage, players will play a two-game match, with the higher seed playing White first;
- In the event of a tie, a tiebreak in the 1+0 time control will take place, with the higher seed playing White first;
- Players will alternate colors until a decisive result occurs.
Grand Prix Points
Players who participate in the 2021 Speed Chess Championship Grand Prix will receive points based on their final standings after each tournament. You can see the details for how many points each player will receive below:
- 1st: 15 points
- 2nd: 12 points
- 3-4th: 8 points
- 5-8th: 4 points
- 9-20th place: 2 points
Grand Prix Points Rules
- The final Grand Prix score consists of the total points players received over the four tournaments;
- Points are awarded for placement ties in the Swiss stage (for example, if there's a 20-way tie for 20th, all 20 players receive 2 points);
- Points standings tiebreak is given to the higher average placement over the four weeks.
Exceptions
Players who are already qualified can participate in the Swiss stage of the tournament but will not be allowed to participate in the knockout stage. They will not receive Grand Prix points either. If an invited or qualified player is in the top 20, their place will be passed onto the next player for the knockout and Swiss point awards.
Prizes
The 2021 Speed Chess Championship Grand Prix has a $44,000 prize fund. Below is a list of the weekly prizes:
Swiss Tournaments*
- 1st: $2,500
- 2nd: $1,800
- 3rd: $1,300
- 4th: $1,000
- 5th: $500
- 6th: $400
- 7th: $300
- 8th-9th: $250
- 10th-16th: $100
- Top Female (Swiss): $500
- Top Streamer (Swiss): $500
* Standard Chess.com Swiss tiebreaks will determine the final standings.
Knockout Stage
- Winner: $1,000
The player with the most overall Grand Prix points will also qualify for the 2021 Speed Chess Championship Main Event.
How To Play In The Event
If you're a titled player and want to participate in the event, here's what you need to do:
- Go to the Live chess page within one hour before the event starts;
- Click the "Tournaments" tab to the right;
- Click the Grand Prix Swiss event;
- Click the "Join" button.
Identification Requirements And Fair Play
- Titled players who still need to verify their title on Chess.com must fill out the form here;
- All players in any Speed Chess Championship Grand Prix event must identify themselves with their full legal name on their Chess.com profile before registering for the event;
- Players must have access to a webcam to participate in the knockout stage;
- Participants should be prepared to join a ZOOM call for proctoring at the arbiter's discretion;
- All players must abide by all rules and site policies found at Chess.com/agreement and cooperate fully with Chess.com's fair play detection team.
