FIDE World Fischer Random Chess Championship over-the-board final will take place in the Berjaya Reykjavik Natura Hotel, Iceland, from 25-30 October 2022. The overall prize fund of the final in the Icelandic capital amounts to a whopping 400,000 USD and eight players will have a shot at the 150,000 USD first prize and the FIDE Fischer Random World Champion title.
The participants are:
- Wesley So, reigning FIDE World Fischer Random Chess Champion
- Magnus Carlsen, reigning World Chess Champion
- Ian Nepomniachtchi, wildcard
- Hjorvar Steinn Gretarsson, wildcard
- Vladimir Fedoseev, Qualifier 1 chess.com
- Matthias Bluebaum, Qualifier 2 chess.com
- Hikaru Nakamura, Qualifier 3 lichess.org
- Nodirbek Abdusattorov, Qualifier 4 lichess.org
“I am so excited to be competing in Fischer Random again! And in Iceland! It couldn’t be more special than to compete in that particular place, defending my title against the best players in the world. To play in Reykjavik, fifty years after the match between Fischer and Spassky, gives it a historical perspective that cannot be matched,” commented Wesley So.
Speaking about his participation in the FIDE World Fischer Random Chess Championship, Magnus Carlsen said: “Soon I will have no World Championship titles, so it’s time to start winning some of them back!“.
The finals will consist of a two-group stage followed by the knockout semifinals and final. The time control will be 25 minutes per player for the first 30 moves, after which each player will receive additional 5 minutes on the clock and an increment of 5 seconds per move.
The Championship in Reykjavik will be broadcast live by NRK, the largest media organization in Norway and FIDE’s long-term partner, and RUV, Iceland’s major national broadcast company. As in 2019, the final will be organized by Dund AS, a Norwegian shareholding company. Lichess qualifiers are organized with the support of Offerspill Sjakklubb, Charlotte Chess Center, and the North American Corporate Chess League.
What is Fischer Random Chess?
Fischer Random is a chess variant invented by legendary Bobby Fischer, 1972-75 World Chess Champion. The game’s rules are the same as standard chess, but the starting position of pieces is randomly shuffled. It reduces the impact of opening theory and makes players contemplate game development from the first moves.
