2024 FIDE World Rapid and Blitz Team Championships Begin in Astana
The International Chess Federation (FIDE) World Rapid and Blitz Team Championships 2024 will kick off today in Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan, and will run until Aug. 5. The prestigious event will see 350 players representing 39 teams, including world champion Ding Liren from China, and the top-rated player Magnus Carlsen from Norway. Among the participants are current and former Open and Women’s world champions, as well as many of the world’s strongest players vying for a prize fund of 350,000 euros (US$377,634).
The championship will unfold over five days and will feature two tournaments. The Rapid tournament, set for Aug. 2-4, will consist of a 12-round Swiss tournament with a time control of 15 minutes and a 10-second increment per move from the first move. Following the Rapid tournament, the Blitz tournament will take place on Aug. 5-6. This segment will kick off with a pool stage, featuring a round-robin format with no more than seven rounds. The top 16 teams from the pool stage will advance to the knockout stage, with a time control of three minutes and a two-second increment per move from the first move.
Kazakhstan will be represented by Bibisara Assaubayeva, Alisher Suleimenov, Aldiyar Ansat, Darmen Sadvakassov, Meruert Kamalidenova, Ramazan Zhalmakhanov, Arystanbek Urazayev, and other talented players.
Tournament director Pavel Tregubov expressed excitement about the event, stating that with elite international players and non-professionals in each team, it promises to be a thrilling and dramatic experience for the chess community. Don’t miss the exciting matches and fierce competition that await at the FIDE World Rapid and Blitz Team Championships 2024 in Astana!
