INDIA'S CHESS QUEST

FIDE Candidates 2024 or simply The Candidates 2024 is being held in Toronto from 4th -22nd April 2024.

It is one of the most prestigious chess competitions in the world. This eightplayer tournament is to determine the challenger to contest in the next Chess World Championship. The tournament, being held in North America for the first time promises to be a spectacle of sparkling chess brilliance.

The prize money for the Open Category is €48,000 for first place, €36,000 for second place, and €24,000 for third place (with players on the same number of points sharing prize money, irrespective of tie-breaks) plus €3,500 per half-point for every player. The total value of prize pool for the Open Category of the FIDES Candidates 2024 Tournament is €500,000.

In the Women's Category, the prize money is €24,000 for the winner, €18,000 for the second place, and €12,000 for the third place. In addition, there is €1,750 per half-point for every player. The value of the total prize pool for the Women's Category of the tournament is €250,000.

FIDE Candidates 2024 is a double round-robin tournament with each player playing the rest of the field twice in a total of 14 rounds. The players earn 1 point for a win, ½ point for a draw and no point for loss.

The Indian contingent for this prestigious tournament comprises Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa, Rameshbabu Vaishali, Koneru Humpy, D. Gukesh, Vidit Gujrathi. Five rounds of the tournament had already taken place, and the sixth round, at the time of writing this piece, is about to begin tomorrow in Toronto.

Champion Siblings