Qualifier For FIDE Chess.com Isle Of Man Grand Swiss

Eight chess masters will play a Swiss tournament on Wednesday to try to qualify for the FIDE Chess.com Grand Swiss in the Isle of Man this October.

Four of the highest-placing men and women in the past four months of Titled Tuesday will play two Swiss tournaments Wednesday followed by championship mini-matches, with one qualifier spot on the line in both the men's and women's sections. When the Titled Tuesday tournament was won by a player already in the FIDE Chess.com Grand Swiss, the qualifier spot passed to the next-best finisher.

Watch all the high-stakes action with full chess-master commentary this Wednesday, July 17, starting at 10 a.m. PDT for the men, and 11 a.m. PDT for the women, live on Twitch.tv/chess.

Participants:

Women:

• WGM Petra Papp
• WGM Vera Nebolsina
• WIM Filiz Osmanodja
• GM Marie Sebag

Men:

• IM Abdulla Gadimbayli
• IM Tuan Minh Le
• GM Rasmus Svane
• GM Stanislav Bogdanovich

Format:

• Double round-robin in each section (each player plays every other player in the section with White and Black).
• Time control of 3|2 (three minutes plus two-second increment).
• The top two finishers in each section will play a mini-match to determine the overall winner.
• The mini-match is a best of five (first player to three points wins), also at 3|2 time control. The higher-seeded player gets White in games one, three and five.

Tiebreakers:

• For the top two finishers in the round-robin, the first tiebreaker is the heads-up score. If that is equal, a 1|1 bullet game will be played, with White going to the highest-rated player (live blitz ratings at the end of the round-robin). If this game is drawn, colors are reversed and games are played until a winner emerges.
• If the mini-match is tied after five games, a 1|1 bullet game will be played with alternate colors from the previous game. The lower-seeded player gets White. If this game is drawn, colors are reversed and games are played until a winner emerges.

Prizes:

• The winners of the men's and women's sections each receive $250 and a spot in the Grand Swiss.
• 2nd place: $150 each.
• 3rd-4th places: $100.
• Total prize pool for the FIDE Chess.com Grand Swiss at Isle of Man: $432,500. 
• All prizes won are subject to review by the Chess.com fair play system.

Be sure to tune in to Twitch.tv/chess live on July 17 starting at 10 a.m. to watch this thrilling qualifier. Let us know who you're rooting for in the comments.