London 2012 FIDE Grand Prix

The first Grand Prix of the 2012/13 FIDE Grand Prix series will take place at the historic chess venue of Simpson's-In-The-Strand in London between 20 September - 4 October.

The overall winner and runner-up of the Grand Prix qualify for the March 2014 Candidates Tournament.

After the first contest in London, the series moves on to Tashkent, Lisbon, Madrid, Berlin and Paris.  Each tournament is a single round-robin featuring 12 out of the 18 players in the Grand Prix, and each player competes in four of the six events.  Details of dates and participants can be found here.

Magnus Carlsen, Levon Aronian, Vladimir Kramnik and Viswanathan Anand have declined to participate in the Grand Prix as they are likely to qualify for the 2012 Candidates by virtue of their high ratings (or status as World Champion).

The line-up for the first Grand Prix in London is:

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Note that Peter Svidler was due to take part in London, but has had to withdraw for family reasons.  He has been replaced by Michael Adams.

The schedule for the London Grand Prix:

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All rounds start at 14:00 local time (13:00 UTC). The time control is 40 moves in 2 hours, followed by 20 moves in 1 hour, then an extra 15 minutes to a finish with a 30 second increment after the second time control.

Draws can only be claimed for triple-repetition of position, theoretical draws, or 50-move rule.

The official regulations for the 2012 FIDE Grand Prix can be found here.

Official website here. Look out for coverage at Chess.com/TV!