Bilbao Final Masters Starts Today
The Grand Slam Final, a.k.a. the Bilbao Final Masters starts today, as previewed here.
The draw has been made, and the order of play is:
| Sat 9 Oct | Round 1 | Kramnik v Carlsen | Shirov v Anand |
| Sun 10 Oct | Round 2 | Carlsen v Anand | Kramnik v Shirov |
| Mon 11 Oct | Round 3 | Shirov v Carlsen | Anand v Kramnik |
| Tue 12 Oct | Rest Day | ||
| Wed 13 Oct | Round 4 | Carlsen v Kramnik | Anand v Shirov |
| Thur 14 Oct | Round 5 | Carlsen v Shirov | Kramnik v Anand |
| Fri 15 Oct | Round 6 | Anand v Carlsen | Shirov v Kramnik |
The time control for all games will be 90 minutes for the first 40 moves, then 60 minutes to finish with a 10 second increment (from move 41). The anti-draw Sofia Rules are in operation and the Bilbao scoring system of three points for a win, 1 for a draw and 0 for a loss.
The rounds start each day at 16:30 local time (CET). If there is a tie for first place, there will be two blitz games, and if necessary a sudden-death game to decide the winner.
Live coverage is available at the official website.
(l to r) Kramnik, Carlsen, Shirov and Anand in front of the Guggenheim museum in Bilbao
