Isle of Man to host the FIDE Grand Swiss Tournament

FIDE is pleased to award its inaugural Grand Swiss Tournament to the Isle of Man, after the bidding procedure that was closed on February 9, 2019.

The Grand Swiss will take place on the Isle of Man from October 7, 2019 (arrival day) to October 21, 2019 (departure day) in cooperation with chess.com.

One qualification spot to the Candidates 2020 will be determined in the event. The prize fund of the tournament is 400,000 US dollars, with an additional 32,500 US dollars allocated as special women’s prizes.

A total of 160 players are expected to take part, of which 105 will be determined according to the published Grand Swiss Regulations, plus another 15 players nominated by FIDE according to the amendment to the regulations to be approved no later than March 31, 2019. A further 40 participants will be nominated by the organizers, including a number of top female players, some of the world's best young players, local players etc.

FIDE is grateful to the Isle of Man organizational team for the perfectly prepared application and is confident about an excellent organization of the tournament, that will probably be the strongest Swiss system tournament in the history of chess.