Grand Prix Set To Crash?
As reported recently, the next tournament in the Grand Prix series, due to be held in Doha, Qatar, has been cancelled.
New unconfirmed reports suggest that another event in the series - Montreux - which was due to be held in April, is also set to be scrapped since the organisers have not come up with the necessary funds.
The whole series is now in real danger, since any events that are scrapped have to be replaced to maintain the Grand Prix structure, or it all falls apart.
Of course, all this must be set in the context of the changes to the current WCC qualifying cycle, which have effectively devalued the Grand Prix series.
The third Grand Prix event, which is being held in Elista in place of Doha, is due to start on the 13th December. The question is - how many of the players will actually turn up?
Henrik Carlsen, father of Magnus, states on his blog that he is considering legal action and that Magnus may withdraw from the rest of the competition.