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GM Vidit Gujrathi in association with chess24 India has announced the launch of VIDIT CHESS TOUR, an exclusive tournament for Indian players which gives them an amazing opportunity to grab a seat at the Indian Qualifiers of the Meltwater Chess Champions Tour 2021 along with winning amazing prizes from a pool worth $20,000.
VIDIT CHESS TOUR is an online tournament organized by chess24 India which consists of 8 individual events starting from 21st February to 28th February. The tournament is open for all Indian players - rated, unrated and titled (IM/WIM/WGM/GM). Top 2 players from each event qualify to the knockout stages. The knockout stages ie. Round of 16, Quarter-finals, Semi-finals and Finals will be broadcast live exclusively on Chess24 India YouTube channel with GM Vidit Gujrathi. The top 8 players directly enter the Indian Qualifiers of the Meltwater Champions Chess Tour 2021. All participants will receive one-month PlayMagnus PLUS subscription while the top 16 players will also be awarded with cash prize, chess24 premium membership and free Chessable courses.
Vidit Gujrathi, Indian Chess Grandmaster, said: “India is considered one of the youngest countries in terms of the youth percentage and skills. Indian youth possess a lot of talent and potential, it’s just that they need the correct platform to showcase the same. VC Tour is a unique opportunity for all the budding chess players to play in a top rated tournament and get exposure to playing with the best players. Also there is no such tournament in India which is open to all players, as most of them are for rated and titled players so this will surely open the gateway for all the players and inspire them to compete at the highest level. Since the start of the pandemic and the hit Netflix show “The Queen’s Gambit”, people have shown great interest in this game. This is our attempt to influence people and popularize this ancient game.”
Vidit Gujrathi is an Indian Chess player currently based out of Nashik, Maharashtra. He was the captain of the Indian Chess team which won historic Gold Medal at FIDE Online Chess Olympiad. Previously, he has individually made the country proud by winning multiple tournaments and championships such as Tata Steel, Beil Grandmaster’s event, Prague Masters etc. He is only the fourth Indian ever to cross 2700 ELO rating in 2017. Currently he is ranked #24 in World and #3 in India. Sunil Kamath, Vice President – APAC, Play Magnus group, said: “We are delighted to partner with Vidit Gujrathi and announce the Vidit Chess Tour to encourage Indian chess players to compete and stand a chance to enter the Indian Qualifiers of the Meltwater Champions Chess Tour 2021.”
Event Schedule:
Online Qualifiers: 21st to 28th Feb at 7pm IST
Pre-quarters: 4th March at 7pm IST
Quarters: 5th March at 7pm IST
Semis: 6th March at 7pm IST
Finals: 7th March at 7pm IST
Time Control & Format:
Qualifiers: 3 + 2 (Swiss format 9 to 13 rounds)
Knockouts: 15 + 10 (Knockout with best of 2 games)
Entry Fees:
1 Event: INR 500 + GST
5 Events: INR 1500 + GST
8 Events: INR 2000 + GST
No Entry fees for IM/WIM/WGM/GM
Registrations open at https://viditchess.com/vidit-chess-tour/
