The UNOFFICIAL guide to the 2024 puzzles world championship
The 2024 Puzzles World Championship (PWC) is a competition for the best chess tacticians in the world. The event is a part of the Puzzle Week celebration and happens on January 11 and 12, starting at 12 p.m. ET/18:00 CET. The PWC features a $25,000 prize fund.
Broadcast
You can catch the live coverage of the PWC on Chess.com/TV and on our Twitch and YouTube channels.
Players
Any player can qualify to play in the 2024 Puzzles World Championship by sending video proof of them scoring 50 points or more in a five-minute Puzzle Rush run. Click here to access the official application form.
Schedule
The event consists of two phases: Puzzle Rush Royale and Puzzle Battle Knockout. The Puzzle Rush Royale happens on January 11, while the Puzzle Battle Knockout occurs on January 12. Both phases start at 12 p.m. ET/18:00 CET.
Format
The event is divided into the Puzzle Rush Royale and the Puzzle Battle Knockout.
Puzzle Rush Royale (Day 1)
- Qualified and invited players take part in a five-round competition.
- Each round lasts 30 minutes.
- Players' highest three-minute Puzzle Rush score counts toward each round.
- Every competitor below 20th place is eliminated after round one.
- The bottom three players are eliminated, and the top two players advance to the Puzzle Battle Knockout after rounds two through five.
- Eight players qualify for the Puzzle Battle Knockout.
- Ties are broken based on the following stats from the best run within each round:
- Highest streak.
- Highest-rated puzzle solved.
- Time per puzzle.
Puzzle Battle Knockout (Day 2)
- The eight players who qualify from the Puzzle Rush Royale play in a double-elimination bracket.
- Players compete in Puzzle Battle matches.
- Winner Bracket matches are the best of eight.
- Losers Bracket matches are the best of four.
- If needed, the Grand Final reset is a best of four.
- If there's a tie, the player with the higher total points across all games wins the match.
Prizes
The PWC features a $25,000 prize fund, distributed as follows:
Puzzle Battle Knockout
- 1st: $5,000
- 2nd: $4,000
- 3rd: $3,000
- 4th: $2,000
- 5th: $1,500 (x2)
- 7th: $1,000 (x2)
Puzzle Rush Royale
- Eliminated in round five: $800 (x3)
- Eliminated in round four: $600 (x3)
- Eliminated in round three: $400 (x3)
- Eliminated in round two: $200 (x3)
Prior Events
The Puzzles World Championship is a yearly competition that started in 2020. Since then, GM Ray Robson has dominated the event, winning every edition so far—even against tough opponents like GMs Hikaru Nakamura, Daniel Naroditsky, Alireza Firouzja, and more.
