Latest news with #HikaruNakamura
The Guardian
23-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Magnus Carlsen shows how Saudi Arabia gobbles up global sports stars
In February, Norwegian chess grandmaster Magnus Carlsen extended his reign over the online chess world when he defeated longtime rival Hikaru Nakamura in back-to-back matches to retain his Chessable Masters title. The tournament kicked off this year's Champions Tour, a circuit Carlsen has dominated since its launch in 2020. But now, the stakes were even higher: the tour doubles as a qualifier for the Esports World Cup in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, where the winner of the chess section of the tournament will take home $250,000 for three days' work. The chess tournament is part of the broader Esports World Cup, a seven-week spectacle that began on 8 July and stretches into late August. This is only the second edition of the World Cup but with more than 2,000 participating players, 25 different events and a record-breaking $70m total prize pool, it is the largest and most ambitious event of its kind. Chess is set to make its debut at this year's edition. The sport has captured a massive new audience in recent years, fueled by charismatic YouTube personalities, platforms like Netflix hit drama The Queen's Gambit, and a pandemic that imposed agonizing periods of isolation. Amid this online resurgence, the centuries-old game of intellectual prowess has remerged as a digital-era sensation. Keen to capitalize on chess's popularity, Saudi Arabia enlisted Carlsen as the global ambassador for the Esports World Cup. Along with Cristiano Ronaldo, Carlsen is expected to lend his name and fanbase to the event in the hopes of luring new fans to the Saudi-bankrolled tournament. That public relations campaign seemingly kicked off on the opening day of the world cup, when Carlsen issued a friendly challenge to play a chess match against Ronaldo. 'I personally don't know what Ronaldo has done on the chess chessboard, but what he has done in his life, in his football career, is extremely impressive. So, I would certainly be very honored if I could, you know, meet him or play chess while I'm here,' Carlsen told reporters. Carlsen's decision to peddle Saudi PR came as a bit of a surprise given his limited engagement with the kingdom in the past. He won the 2017 world championships (in rapid and blitz chess) in Riyadh, a tournament that was boycotted by his top female counterpart from Ukraine because of Saudi Arabia's discrimination against women. The closest Carlsen came to criticizing the kingdom at the time was over the refusal to grant visas to Israeli players. 'I hope that if [the rapid and blitz championships] are arranged here several times, that everyone can participate,' Carlsen told Norwegian broadcaster NRK. Carlsen is not known for taking strong stances on human rights issues. On 21 March 2019 – the UN's international day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination – Carlsen and former chess champion Anish Giri launched the #MoveForEquality campaign to tackle the issue through a symbolic chess match where black moved first instead of white, breaking a longstanding chess rule. However, while Carlsen has largely steered clear of human rights debates, his decision to partner with Saudi Arabia underscores how few sports stars can resist the kingdom's growing influence … or its deep pockets. Though Carlsen's deal is technically with the Esports World Cup, the event is entirely owned by Saudi's sovereign wealth fund, the Public Investment Fund (PIF) and is part of the kingdom's broader power plays across sports. Over the past nine years, the kingdom has invested unprecedented sums across a wide range of sports as part of an overarching soft power strategy aimed to rebrand Saudi Arabia as a global hub for sports, tourism and entertainment. The vast majority of these investments – including Saudi's foray into boxing, its purchase of English Premier League club Newcastle United, and its securing of the hosting rights for the 2034 World Cup, have been facilitated by the PIF, which is chaired by Saudi's crown prince (and de facto ruler) Mohammed bin Salman – reportedly an avid gamer himself. Carlsen now joins other renowned athletes like Ronaldo, Rafael Nadal, and Lionel Messi as well-paid pitchmen for the Saudi regime. In 2023, I broke a story for the New York Times which revealed the details of Lionel Messi's partnership with Saudi Arabia's tourism authority – a deal valued at $25m over three years, including publicized vacations in Saudi with his family, as well as a series of promotional material and regular social media posts. However, the real revelation was that Messi's contract also included a non-negotiable condition for Saudi officials: Messi cannot say anything that might 'tarnish' Saudi Arabia's image. It is possible, if not likely, that a similar clause is included in Saudi's agreements with each of its ambassadors, including Carlsen. It is a strategy that allows the kingdom to reap the promotional benefits of being associated with some of the world's most beloved athletes while maintaining full control of the narrative being presented, under penalty of litigation. Nevertheless, Carlsen's willingness to cooperate with Saudi Arabia is not surprising. The kingdom's vast investments in sports and entertainment, backed by its seemingly limitless resources, have helped normalize its image, making it more palpable to previously hesitant audiences. Even Saudi Arabia's increasing human rights abuses, from quashing dissent to record-breaking execution rates, have had little impact on those eager to participate in the Saudi gold rush. This including the burgeoning world of esports and gaming. Sign up to The Recap The best of our sports journalism from the past seven days and a heads-up on the weekend's action after newsletter promotion Over the past few years, Savvy Games Group, a company owned by the PIF, has acquired a large portion of the global esports industry. Aside from holding shares in Nintendo, Electronic Arts, and Activision, Savvy acquired mobile game developer Copley for $4.9bn, which later went on to acquire Niantic, the games business behind Pokémon Go. Saudi Arabia is also building Qiddiya City, a dedicated district that will house regional esports headquarters, clubs, and arenas. It is an exceptional level of investment that makes Saudi impossible to ignore as the major player in the global esports market. And though it would be easy to write off the kingdom's efforts as sportswashing – a term that describes efforts to use sports as a distraction from ongoing human rights abuses – I would argue that the term offers an overly simplistic understanding of the kingdom's aims. It is a multi-pronged strategy that is part foreign policy, part domestic socialization project, a strategy of pacifying the public with entertainment and material goods. With more than two-thirds of Saudi Arabia's population under the age of 35 – a significant number of whom are gamers – the kingdom's heavy investment in gaming has only enhanced bin Salman's popularity among young Saudis, which further stabilizes his regime. As for Carlsen, his role as an ambassador for one of Saudi's spectacles underscores the kingdom's ability to lure almost any athlete across sports and entertainment. Along with the likes of Messi, Ronaldo and Nadal, Carlsen is merely the latest star mobilized to help legitimize Saudi Arabia as a global destination for sports and soften its controversial image among fans. And with every star who signs on, the regime's image gleams just a little bit brighter.
Yahoo
23-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Magnus Carlsen shows how Saudi Arabia gobbles up global sports stars
In February, Norwegian chess grandmaster Magnus Carlsen extended his reign over the online chess world when he defeated longtime rival Hikaru Nakamura in back-to-back matches to retain his Chessable Masters title. The tournament kicked off this year's Champions Tour, a circuit Carlsen has dominated since its launch in 2020. But now, the stakes were even higher: the tour doubles as a qualifier for the Esports World Cup in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, where the winner of the chess section of the tournament will take home $250,000 for three days' work. The chess tournament is part of the broader Esports World Cup, a seven-week spectacle that began on 8 July and stretches into late August. This is only the second edition of the World Cup but with more than 2,000 participating players, 25 different events and a record-breaking $70m total prize pool, it is the largest and most ambitious event of its kind. Related: Magnus Carlsen v The World: chess champion's 46-day match ends in draw Chess is set to make its debut at this year's edition. The sport has captured a massive new audience in recent years, fueled by charismatic YouTube personalities, platforms like Netflix hit drama The Queen's Gambit, and a pandemic that imposed agonizing periods of isolation. Amid this online resurgence, the centuries-old game of intellectual prowess has remerged as a digital-era sensation. Keen to capitalize on chess's popularity, Saudi Arabia enlisted Carlsen as the global ambassador for the Esports World Cup. Along with Cristiano Ronaldo, Carlsen is expected to lend his name and fanbase to the event in the hopes of luring new fans to the Saudi-bankrolled tournament. That public relations campaign seemingly kicked off on the opening day of the world cup, when Carlsen issued a friendly challenge to play a chess match against Ronaldo. 'I personally don't know what Ronaldo has done on the chess chessboard, but what he has done in his life, in his football career, is extremely impressive. So, I would certainly be very honored if I could, you know, meet him or play chess while I'm here,' Carlsen told reporters. Carlsen's decision to peddle Saudi PR came as a bit of a surprise given his limited engagement with the kingdom in the past. He won the 2017 world championships (in rapid and blitz chess) in Riyadh, a tournament that was boycotted by his top female counterpart from Ukraine because of Saudi Arabia's discrimination against women. The closest Carlsen came to criticizing the kingdom at the time was over the refusal to grant visas to Israeli players. 'I hope that if [the rapid and blitz championships] are arranged here several times, that everyone can participate,' Carlsen told Norwegian broadcaster NRK. Carlsen is not known for taking strong stances on human rights issues. On 21 March 2019 – the UN's international day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination – Carlsen and former chess champion Anish Giri launched the #MoveForEquality campaign to tackle the issue through a symbolic chess match where black moved first instead of white, breaking a longstanding chess rule. However, while Carlsen has largely steered clear of human rights debates, his decision to partner with Saudi Arabia underscores how few sports stars can resist the kingdom's growing influence … or its deep pockets. Though Carlsen's deal is technically with the Esports World Cup, the event is entirely owned by Saudi's sovereign wealth fund, the Public Investment Fund (PIF) and is part of the kingdom's broader power plays across sports. Over the past nine years, the kingdom has invested unprecedented sums across a wide range of sports as part of an overarching soft power strategy aimed to rebrand Saudi Arabia as a global hub for sports, tourism and entertainment. The vast majority of these investments – including Saudi's foray into boxing, its purchase of English Premier League club Newcastle United, and its securing of the hosting rights for the 2034 World Cup, have been facilitated by the PIF, which is chaired by Saudi's crown prince (and de facto ruler) Mohammed bin Salman – reportedly an avid gamer himself. Carlsen now joins other renowned athletes like Ronaldo, Rafael Nadal, and Lionel Messi as well-paid pitchmen for the Saudi regime. In 2023, I broke a story for the New York Times which revealed the details of Lionel Messi's partnership with Saudi Arabia's tourism authority – a deal valued at $25m over three years, including publicized vacations in Saudi with his family, as well as a series of promotional material and regular social media posts. However, the real revelation was that Messi's contract also included a non-negotiable condition for Saudi officials: Messi cannot say anything that might 'tarnish' Saudi Arabia's image. It is possible, if not likely, that a similar clause is included in Saudi's agreements with each of its ambassadors, including Carlsen. It is a strategy that allows the kingdom to reap the promotional benefits of being associated with some of the world's most beloved athletes while maintaining full control of the narrative being presented, under penalty of litigation. Nevertheless, Carlsen's willingness to cooperate with Saudi Arabia is not surprising. The kingdom's vast investments in sports and entertainment, backed by its seemingly limitless resources, have helped normalize its image, making it more palpable to previously hesitant audiences. Even Saudi Arabia's increasing human rights abuses, from quashing dissent to record-breaking execution rates, have had little impact on those eager to participate in the Saudi gold rush. This including the burgeoning world of esports and gaming. Over the past few years, Savvy Games Group, a company owned by the PIF, has acquired a large portion of the global esports industry. Aside from holding shares in Nintendo, Electronic Arts, and Activision, Savvy acquired mobile game developer Copley for $4.9bn, which later went on to acquire Niantic, the games business behind Pokémon Go. Saudi Arabia is also building Qiddiya City, a dedicated district that will house regional esports headquarters, clubs, and arenas. It is an exceptional level of investment that makes Saudi impossible to ignore as the major player in the global esports market. And though it would be easy to write off the kingdom's efforts as sportswashing – a term that describes efforts to use sports as a distraction from ongoing human rights abuses – I would argue that the term offers an overly simplistic understanding of the kingdom's aims. It is a multi-pronged strategy that is part foreign policy, part domestic socialization project, a strategy of pacifying the public with entertainment and material goods. With more than two-thirds of Saudi Arabia's population under the age of 35 – a significant number of whom are gamers – the kingdom's heavy investment in gaming has only enhanced bin Salman's popularity among young Saudis, which further stabilizes his regime. As for Carlsen, his role as an ambassador for one of Saudi's spectacles underscores the kingdom's ability to lure almost any athlete across sports and entertainment. Along with the likes of Messi, Ronaldo and Nadal, Carlsen is merely the latest star mobilized to help legitimize Saudi Arabia as a global destination for sports and soften its controversial image among fans. And with every star who signs on, the regime's image gleams just a little bit brighter.
The Guardian
23-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Magnus Carlsen shows how Saudi Arabia gobbles up global sports stars
In February, Norwegian chess grandmaster Magnus Carlsen extended his reign over the online chess world when he defeated longtime rival Hikaru Nakamura in back-to-back matches to retain his Chessable Masters title. The tournament kicked off this year's Champions Tour, a circuit Carlsen has dominated since its launch in 2020. But now, the stakes were even higher: the tour doubles as a qualifier for the Esports World Cup in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, where the winner of the chess section of the tournament will take home $250,000 for three days' work. The chess tournament is part of the broader Esports World Cup, a seven-week spectacle that began on 8 July and stretches into late August. This is only the second edition of the World Cup but with more than 2,000 participating players, 25 different events and a record-breaking $70m total prize pool, it is the largest and most ambitious event of its kind. Chess is set to make its debut at this year's edition. The sport has captured a massive new audience in recent years, fueled by charismatic YouTube personalities, platforms like Netflix hit drama The Queen's Gambit, and a pandemic that imposed agonizing periods of isolation. Amid this online resurgence, the centuries-old game of intellectual prowess has remerged as a digital-era sensation. Keen to capitalize on chess's popularity, Saudi Arabia enlisted Carlsen as the global ambassador for the Esports World Cup. Along with Cristiano Ronaldo, Carlsen is expected to lend his name and fanbase to the event in the hopes of luring new fans to the Saudi-bankrolled tournament. That public relations campaign seemingly kicked off on the opening day of the world cup, when Carlsen issued a friendly challenge to play a chess match against Ronaldo. 'I personally don't know what Ronaldo has done on the chess chessboard, but what he has done in his life, in his football career, is extremely impressive. So, I would certainly be very honored if I could, you know, meet him or play chess while I'm here,' Carlsen told reporters. Carlsen's decision to peddle Saudi PR came as a bit of a surprise given his limited engagement with the kingdom in the past. He won the 2017 world championships (in rapid and blitz chess) in Riyadh, a tournament that was boycotted by his top female counterpart from Ukraine because of Saudi Arabia's discrimination against women. The closest Carlsen came to criticizing the kingdom at the time was over the refusal to grant visas to Israeli players. 'I hope that if [the rapid and blitz championships] are arranged here several times, that everyone can participate,' Carlsen told Norwegian broadcaster NRK. Carlsen is not known for taking strong stances on human rights issues. On 21 March 2019 – the UN's international day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination – Carlsen and former chess champion Anish Giri launched the #MoveForEquality campaign to tackle the issue through a symbolic chess match where black moved first instead of white, breaking a longstanding chess rule. However, while Carlsen has largely steered clear of human rights debates, his decision to partner with Saudi Arabia underscores how few sports stars can resist the kingdom's growing influence … or its deep pockets. Though Carlsen's deal is technically with the Esports World Cup, the event is entirely owned by Saudi's sovereign wealth fund, the Public Investment Fund (PIF) and is part of the kingdom's broader power plays across sports. Over the past nine years, the kingdom has invested unprecedented sums across a wide range of sports as part of an overarching soft power strategy aimed to rebrand Saudi Arabia as a global hub for sports, tourism and entertainment. The vast majority of these investments – including Saudi's foray into boxing, its purchase of English Premier League club Newcastle United, and its securing of the hosting rights for the 2034 World Cup, have been facilitated by the PIF, which is chaired by Saudi's crown prince (and de facto ruler) Mohammed bin Salman – reportedly an avid gamer himself. Carlsen now joins other renowned athletes like Ronaldo, Rafael Nadal, and Lionel Messi as well-paid pitchmen for the Saudi regime. In 2023, I broke a story for the New York Times which revealed the details of Lionel Messi's partnership with Saudi Arabia's tourism authority – a deal valued at $25m over three years, including publicized vacations in Saudi with his family, as well as a series of promotional material and regular social media posts. However, the real revelation was that Messi's contract also included a non-negotiable condition for Saudi officials: Messi cannot say anything that might 'tarnish' Saudi Arabia's image. It is possible, if not likely, that a similar clause is included in Saudi's agreements with each of its ambassadors, including Carlsen. It is a strategy that allows the kingdom to reap the promotional benefits of being associated with some of the world's most beloved athletes while maintaining full control of the narrative being presented, under penalty of litigation. Nevertheless, Carlsen's willingness to cooperate with Saudi Arabia is not surprising. The kingdom's vast investments in sports and entertainment, backed by its seemingly limitless resources, have helped normalize its image, making it more palpable to previously hesitant audiences. Even Saudi Arabia's increasing human rights abuses, from quashing dissent to record-breaking execution rates, have had little impact on those eager to participate in the Saudi gold rush. This including the burgeoning world of esports and gaming. Sign up to The Recap The best of our sports journalism from the past seven days and a heads-up on the weekend's action after newsletter promotion Over the past few years, Savvy Games Group, a company owned by the PIF, has acquired a large portion of the global esports industry. Aside from holding shares in Nintendo, Electronic Arts, and Activision, Savvy acquired mobile game developer Copley for $4.9bn, which later went on to acquire Niantic, the games business behind Pokémon Go. Saudi Arabia is also building Qiddiya City, a dedicated district that will house regional esports headquarters, clubs, and arenas. It is an exceptional level of investment that makes Saudi impossible to ignore as the major player in the global esports market. And though it would be easy to write off the kingdom's efforts as sportswashing – a term that describes efforts to use sports as a distraction from ongoing human rights abuses – I would argue that the term offers an overly simplistic understanding of the kingdom's aims. It is a multi-pronged strategy that is part foreign policy, part domestic socialization project, a strategy of pacifying the public with entertainment and material goods. With more than two-thirds of Saudi Arabia's population under the age of 35 – a significant number of whom are gamers – the kingdom's heavy investment in gaming has only enhanced bin Salman's popularity among young Saudis, which further stabilizes his regime. As for Carlsen, his role as an ambassador for one of Saudi's spectacles underscores the kingdom's ability to lure almost any athlete across sports and entertainment. Along with the likes of Messi, Ronaldo and Nadal, Carlsen is merely the latest star mobilized to help legitimize Saudi Arabia as a global destination for sports and soften its controversial image among fans. And with every star who signs on, the regime's image gleams just a little bit brighter.
News18
19-07-2025
- Sport
- News18
Las Vegas Freestyle Chess: Arjun Erigaisi Stumbles In Semifinals Against Levon Aronian
Last Updated: Aronian registered a 2-0 triumph over Erigaisi in the final-four encounter on American soil. Indian GM Arjun Erigaisi slipped to a defeat at the hands of Levon Aronian on Saturday in the semifinal encounter between the players at the Las Vegas Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour. Aronian registered a 2-0 triumph over Erigaisi in the final-four encounter on American soil. With the triumph, Aronian has now got the better of World No.1 Magnus Carlse, No. 2 Hikaru Nakamura and No.5 Pragg at the ongoing evet in LV. Out Of Steam After defeating Magnus Carlsen in the play-off for a top-four spot in the prelims and Hikaru Nakamura in the quarterfinals, Arjun Erigaisi failed to convert his chances in the first game against Levon Aronian. Despite facing a difficult position, Aronian held firm and was rewarded when Arjun could not capitalise on his advantage. In the return game, needing only a draw to advance, Aronian played subtly to gain a slight advantage from the opening. As the game settled into a balanced position, it seemed headed for a draw. However, Arjun, requiring a win to stay in the match, took unwarranted risks that cost him dearly. Hans Niemann of the United States was the other player to reach the finals, defeating compatriot Fabiano Caruana. Despite arriving slightly late for the first game, Niemann managed to draw it. Two more draws followed before the younger American outmanoeuvred Caruana with some finely crafted middlegame play. R Praggnanandhaa, who had bowed out of the title race, defeated Vincent Keymer of Germany in the playoff for 3rd-8th place. Praggnanandhaa drew the first game as Black and outplayed Keymer in the return game to register a 1.5-0.5 victory. World No. 1 Magnus Carlsen also won by the same margin against Javokhir Sindarov of Uzbekistan. In other matches, Wesley So of the United States defeated Nodirbek Abdusattorov of Uzbekistan 3-1, while in an all-American duel, Hikaru Nakamura crushed Leinier Dominguez Perez 2-0. Semifinals Results: Arjun Erigaisi (Ind) lost to Levon Aronian (USA) 0-2 Fabiano Caruana (USA) lost to Hans Moke Niemann (USA) 1.5-2.5 Other results: Leinier Dominguez Perez (USA) lost to Hikaru Nakamura (USA) 0-2 Magnus Carlsen (Nor) beat Javokhir Sindarov (Uzb) 1.5-0.5 R Praggnanandhaa beat Vincent Keymer 1.5-0.5 Wesley So (USA) beat Nodirbek Abdusattorov (Uzb) 3-1 First Published: July 19, 2025, 08:04 IST Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
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First Post
15-07-2025
- Sport
- First Post
Freestyle Chess Las Vegas: Players, schedule, format, live streaming and everything else you need to know
The fourth leg of the inaugural Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour gets underway in Las Vegas, USA on Wednesday with world No 1 and Freestyle Chess co-founder Magnus Carlsen eyeing a hat-trick of victories after emerging triumphant in Paris and Karlsruhe. read more Magnus Carlsen and Hikaru Nakamura had squared off in the Paris Grand Slam final and also headline the Las Vegas leg that gets underway on Wednesday, 16 July. Image credit: Freestyle Chess The Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour returns to action after a hiatus of nearly three months, with the fourth event of the tour set to get underway in Las Vegas on Wednesday. Norwegian chess icon Magnus Carlsen, co-founder the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour, is currently on a winning streak, having emerged triumphant in the last two events in Paris and Karlsruhe. The 34-year-old will be eyeing a hat-trick of victories in the American leg of the tour that gets underway less than 24 hours from now, which should further consolidate his position at the top of the standings. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Here's everything you need to know about the Las Vegas Grand Slam: When will the Las Vegas Grand Slam get underway? And how long with the event go on? The Las Vegas leg of the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour will be taking place from 16 to 20 July. Here's the full schedule for the event: 16 July: Group round-robin 17 July: Quarter-finals 18 July: Upper bracket semi-finals 19 July: Lower bracket semi-finals 20 July: Finals Where will the Las Vegas Grand Slam take place? The Las Vegas Grand Slam will be taking place at Wynn Las Vegas, a luxury resort and casino located along the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada. Who are the players in action at the Las Vegas Grand Slam? World No 1 Carlsen will be headlining the Las Vegas leg of the Grand Slam Tour along expected lines while the event will also feature American Grandmasters Hikaru Nakamura and Fabiano Caruana and Weissenhaus champion Vincent Keymer, who form the top four in the overall standings. As for the Indians in action, Classical world champion D Gukesh has opted out after his underwhelming performances in Weissenhaus and Paris, with compatriots Arjun Erigaisi, R Praggnanandhaa and Vidit Gujrathi set to compete at the event. Also mssing , Ian Nepomniachtchi has also opted out of the event, due to personal reasons, and has been replaced by American GM Sam Sevian. India's Arjun Erigaisi had finished a creditable fifth in the Paris Grand Slam and will be eyeing a top-four finish in Las Vegas. Image credit: Freestyle Chess The event also features controversial American GM Hans Niemann, who has been making headlines for his feud with Carlsen more than anything else recently. Here's the full list of competitors in action in Las Vegas: 1. Magnus Carlsen. 2. Hikaru Nakamura. 3. Fabiano Caruana. 4. Levon Aronian. 5. Arjun Erigaisi. 6. Nodirbek Abdusattorov. 7. Leinier Dominguez Perez. 8. Ray Robson. 9. Wesley So. 10. Vincent Keymer. 11. Sam Sevian. 12. R Praggnanandhaa. 13. Hans Niemann. 14. Bibisara Assaubayeva. 15. Javokhir Sindarov. 16. Vidit Gujrathi. What's the format of the Las Vegas Grand Slam? The fourth leg of the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour has a format that's slightly different from the previous events, with the 16 participants divided into two groups of eight players each. The group stage will then be played on a round-robin basis with each player facing the remaining members of his/her group once. The top four players from each group then advance to the quarter-finals, with the top players getting to choose their last-8 opponent from the opposite group. The winners then advance to the semi-finals and the final, while the losers stay back for the classification matches that will decide the final positions for each player other than the two finalists. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The time controls for the group stage has been set at 10+10 while that for the knockouts is at 30+30 – including the final and the third-fourth place playoff, with the organisers opting against retaining Classical 90+30 time controls that was in place in earlier events. What's the total prize money on offer at the Las Vegas Grand Slam? The prize fund for the Las Vegas Grand Slam stands at US$750,000 – $710,000 for the main event and $40,000 for the Play-In. The winner is set to win $200,000 while the runner-up and the player finishing third will win $140,000 and $100,000 respectively. Here's the full breakdown of the prize fund: 1st: $200,000 2nd: $140,000 3rd: $100,000 4th: $60,000 5th: $50,000 6th: $40,000 7th: $30,000 8th: $20,000 9th-12th: $10,000 13th-16th: $7,500 Where can I watch the Las Vegas Grand Slam LIVE? The Las Vegas Grand Slam will be telecast on the website as well as YouTube channels of Freestyle Chess and
