5 Reasons To Watch The Chess.com Rapid Chess Championship Finals
The 2022 Rapid Chess Championship Finals start tomorrow! The field of superstars qualifying from the regular season is finally set, with GM Hikaru Nakamura leading the pack. They are now ready to join the four invited heavyweights, GMs Ding Liren, Ian Nepomniachtchi, Nodirbek Abdusattorov, and Parham Maghsoodloo, to compete for the $150,000 prize fund.
There are many reasons to tune in to the finals of the RCC on August 18 at 9 a.m. PT/18:00 CEST. Here are five of them:
- The Strongest Rapid Event We've Ever Had
- Can Nakamura Win Yet Another Chess.com Title?
- Will We See A World Championship Preview?
- Watch The Reigning Rapid World Champion In Action
- Play The Bracket Contest To Win Diamond Memberships
The Strongest Rapid Event We've Ever Had
Nearly the entire field of the RCC finals has peaked above the 2700 rating barrier and earned the unofficial title of super-grandmaster. To put in perspective how strong that really is, less than 130 players in history have ever crossed that mark.
The powerful field of players coupled with the event's rapid time control will surely give everyone some of the finest and most exciting online games we've ever seen. Who will be crowned as the first Chess.com RCC champion? Tune in to find out!
Can Nakamura Win Yet Another Chess.com Title?
It's no secret that Nakamura is one of the most successful players on Chess.com. He has won the most Titled Tuesday events, numerous Arena Kings, and multiple Speed Chess Championship events.
If Nakamura wins the Rapid Chess Championship, he will be the only player to win every major Chess.com event in history—all of it while streaming.
Will We See A World Championship Preview?
Joining the finals are the two grandmasters playing in the 2023 World Championship match, Nepomniachtchi and Ding. While not exactly in the same format, a Nepo-Ding RCC matchup would be an exciting prelude to the upcoming battle for the world championship title happening next year.
Watch The Reigning Rapid World Champion In Action
Abdusattorov is another talented player joining the RCC finals. The young super-GM first made waves when he won the 2021 World Rapid Chess Championship. Recently, the prodigy struck again when playing first board for his country in the 44th Chess Olympiad—he led his team to the gold medal and very recently crossed the 2700 barrier for the first time. Now, the world will be watching to see how far this young star can go when competing against other chess behemoths in the RCC.
Play The Bracket Contest To Win Diamond Memberships
While watching the event is exciting, participating in it yourself is even better! You can play our RCC Bracket Contest to win diamond memberships. You can read this article to learn more about the contest and how to participate.
Tune in to Chess.com/TV, our Twitch channel, or YouTube.com/ChesscomLive to watch our live broadcast on August 18 at 9 a.m. PT/18:00 CEST, and don't miss a second of the action!
