For more information, please contact:
Rebecca Buffington
GCT Public Relations
Email: press@grandchesstour.org
World Champion Magnus Carlsen Joins SuperUnited Rapid & Blitz Croatia for the Third Leg of the 2022 Grand Chess Tour in Zagreb
Saint Louis, MO, May 23, 2022 – The Grand Chess Tour (GCT) has confirmed the field for the SuperUnited Rapid & Blitz Croatia leg that will include six full tour participants and four wildcards. Reigning World Champion Magnus Carlsen, the No. 1 ranked player in the world, headlines the field and will be joined by former FIDE World Champion Veselin Topalov. Rounding out the wildcards will be 2021 Tata Steel Winner Jorden van Foreest and top Croatian GM Ivan Saric.
The Grand Chess Tour (GCT) has confirmed the field for the SuperUnited Rapid & Blitz Croatia leg that will include six full tour participants and four wildcards. Reigning World Champion Magnus Carlsen, the No. 1#1 ranked player in the world, headlines the field and will be joined by former FIDE World Champion Veselin Topalov. Rounding out the wildcards will be 2021 Tata Steel wWinner Jorden van Foreest and top Croatian GM Ivan Saric.
The SuperUnited Rapid & Blitz Croatia is sponsored by the Superbet Foundation and will include 9 rounds of rapid and 18 rounds of blitz chess for a total prize fund of $175,000.
“The SuperUnited Rapid & Blitz Croatia will feature quite unique competition," said GCT Executive Director Michael Khodarkovsky. "Fans can expect five days of exhilarating chess demonstrated by the best players in the world. We are especially excited to watch World Champion Magnus Carlsen compete in this event and later this year at the Sinquefield Cup hosted by the Saint Louis Chess Club.”
The SuperUnited Rapid & Blitz Croatia will be held in Zagreb, Croatia at the Westin Zagreb hotel from July 19 - 24, 2022 with rounds beginning at 3:00 p.m. daily (CET). The tournament broadcast will be available on grandchesstour.org.
| # | Player Name | Player Type | Country | FIDE Rating | URS Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Magnus Carlsen | Wildcard | NOR | 2864 | 2862 |
| 2 | Alireza Firouzja | Full Tour Player | FRA | 2804 | 2781 |
| 3 | Ian Nepomniachtchi | Full Tour Player | FID | 2773 | 2792 |
| 4 | Wesley So | Full Tour Player | USA | 2778 | 2797 |
| 5 | Shakhriyar Mamedyarov | Full Tour Player | AZE | 2776 | 2768 |
| 6 | Maxime Vachier-Lagrave | Full Tour Player | FRA | 2761 | 2791 |
| 7 | Leinier Dominguez | Full Tour Player | USA | 2756 | 2751 |
| 8 | Jorden Van Foreest | Wildcard | NED | 2714 | 2684 |
| 9 | Veselin Topalov | Wildcard | BLG | 2730 | 2662 |
| 10 | Ivan Saric | Wildcard | CRO | 2693 | 2684 |
The confirmed fields for the 2022 Saint Louis Rapid and Blitz and the Sinquefield Cup will be announced when they become available.
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About the Grand Chess Tour™
The Grand Chess Tour is a circuit of international events, each demonstrating the highest level of organization for the world's best players. The legendary Garry Kasparov, one of the world's greatest ambassadors for chess, inspired the Grand Chess Tour and helped solidify the partnership between the organizers. All Grand Chess Tour 2021 events will comply with local and regional COVID-19 restrictions. For more information about the tour, visit grandchesstour.org.
About the Superbet Foundation
Founded in 2019, Superbet Foundation is a nonprofit organization. Its role is to coordinate Superbet Group’s CSR activities and to connect with civil society organizations and the general public. Through its activity, the Foundation strives for a better world, with healthy and educated people and by supporting various projects it wants to inspire people to hold unbreakable moral values. It supports projects in domains like education, health, culture, performance in sport and, most notably, in chess. Since 2019, chess has become one of the backbones of Superbet Foundation by organizing its first tournament of the Grand Chess Tour in Bucharest. The Foundation is committed to turning GCT tournaments into a tradition for the Romanian and Polish chess communities. For more information, visit superchess.ro.
About the Saint Louis Chess Club
The Saint Louis Chess Club is a non-profit, 501(c)(3) organization that is committed to making chess an important part of our community. In addition to providing a forum for the community to play tournaments and casual games, the club also offers chess improvement classes, beginner lessons and special lectures.
Recognizing the cognitive and behavioral benefits of chess, the Saint Louis Chess Club is committed to supporting those chess programs that already exist in area schools while encouraging the development of new in-school and after-school programs. For more information, visit saintlouischessclub.org.