COVID-19 lockdown: Magnus Carlsen announces million-dollar tour

The four events added are: Lindores Abbey Rapid Challenge, Online Chess Masters, Legends of Chess and Tour Final (August 9 – August 20).

Magnus Carlsen revealed that the prize for the five-leg Tour would be one million dollars.

To beat the lockdown blues and maintain continuity of elite events, World chess champion Magnus Carlsen announced, on Thursday, a schedule of four more major online events concluding with the Tour Finals in August.

After the huge success of his signature event, $250,000 Magnus Carlsen Invitational which he won on May 3, the World No. 1 revealed the prize-fund for the five-leg Tour would be one million dollars.

The four events added to the Magnus Carlsen Chess Tour are: Lindores Abbey Rapid Challenge (May 19 - June 3), Online Chess Masters (June 20 – July 5), Legends of Chess (July 21 – August 5) and Tour Final (August 9 – August 20).

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The top four players of each tournament are guaranteed a place in the following one. As a result, Carlsen, Hikaru Nakamura, Ding Liren, and Alireza Firouzja are part of the Lindores Abbey Rapid Challenge beginning on May 19. Eight additions are, Wesley So, Alexander Grischuk, Sergey Karjakin, Levon Aronian, Wei Yi, Daniil Dubov, Jan-Krzyszt of Duda and Yu Yangyi.

The Tour Final will feature the winners of individual tournaments.

Carlsen, winner of the Invitational following an exciting win over Nakamura, said, “The Invitational was a lot of fun and we heard great feedback from the players, our broadcast partners and the viewers. While physical chess tournaments and sports are still either cancelled or postponed, bringing an entire Chess Tour online is what I feel is right for chess now.”

Like the first leg, these four more elite events that complete the Chess Tour, will be brought live on Chess24.com .