Isle of Man International 2019

[Nick Burrows]

Details of the main tournament has been published. Entries for the Major & Minor are now open.

Douglas, Isle of Man, 4 June 2019 — The ‘FIDE Chess.com Grand Swiss’ will be held in the Isle of Man from 10 to 21 October, and is expected to be the strongest Swiss-system tournament in the history of chess. The prize fund will be US$432,500, with a first prize of $70,000.
The tournament is part of the 2020 FIDE World Championship cycle, with the winner qualifying for the Candidates’ Tournament which will produce a challenger to Magnus Carlsen in the next FIDE World Championship Match.
The starting field of 160 players will feature 120 FIDE qualifiers, with the world’s top-100 players invited based on their average rating over a 12-month period. The other 40 participants will be chosen as “wildcards” allocated by the tournament director, Alan Ormsby, including four spots allocated to Chess.com online qualifiers.
“After five years of hosting the Isle of Man International, we are delighted to be working with FIDE to incorporate our 2019 event into the World Championship cycle, made possible by the generous sponsorship of the Scheinberg family” said Alan Ormsby. “l am using the 40 wildcards wisely, ensuring that we have the diversity that the Isle of Man International is associated with, including places for a number of world-class female players and juniors. I’m also pleased to give some local players the opportunity to play in such a prestigious event, ensuring that the Isle of Man is represented.”
"Swiss tournaments are one of the most attractive formats to compete in our sport: they produce very interesting clashes, allowing rising stars or not-so-strong players to cross swords with members of the chess elite. This democratic approach has many supporters, and it was a pending matter for FIDE to have a massive Swiss Open among our official competitions. The association with the Isle of Man organizers was a natural move, given their experience and the calibre that their tournament has reached. And making it part of the race for the World Championship title will add even more interest to an already fascinating event”, said FIDE president Arkady Dvorkovich.
The FIDE Chess.com Grand Swiss will be held over 11 rounds between 10 and 21 October, with a rest day on the 16th. It will be held at the Comis Hotel and Golf Resort, one of the island’s leading hotels, based 7km outside Douglas. It is expected that around 35 countries will be represented.
"We're ecstatic that our titled users will have the opportunity to qualify for an event as prestigious as the FIDE Chess.com Grand Swiss" said Daniel Rensch, chief chess officer of Chess.com. "We believe in the power of online chess in producing strong players who have built their chess foundation through technology and we're excited to see Chess.com's qualifying players participate against a field featuring many of the top players in the world."
The official opening ceremony on 9 October will welcome a number of dignitaries, including Howard Quayle MHK, Chief Minister of the Isle of Man. “I am honoured to have been invited to attend the opening and closing ceremonies of this prestigious Chess Tournament” said Mr Quayle. “It is a real honour that the world of chess will be celebrated here on the Isle of Man, and I am delighted to welcome all the passionate chess players to the Island in October.”

[Roger de Coverly]

Major is U 2100

31 wild cards have been listed

Grand Swiss Wildcards
Title Surname Firstnames Country Rating
1 GM
Dominguez Perez
Leinier United States 2760
2 GM
Firouzja
Alireza Iran 2682 Junior
3 GM
Shirov
Alexei Spain 2658
4 GM
Lupulescu
Constantin Romania 2649 Chess.com Manx Liberty
5 GM
Parligras
Mircea-Emilian Romania 2638 Chess.com Manx Liberty
6 GM
Deac
Bogdan-Daniel Romania 2623 Junior
7 GM
Tari
Aryan Norway 2623 Chess.com Manx Liberty
8 GM
Esipenko
Andrey Russia 2611 Junior
9 GM
Nihal
Sarin India 2606 Junior
10 GM
Erdos
Viktor Hungary 2603 Chess.com Manx Liberty
11 GM
Gukesh
D India 2543 Junior
12 GM
Keymer
Vincent Germany 2522 Junior
13 GM
Tan
Zhongyi China 2507 Women's World No 11
14 GM
Lei
Tingjie China 2505 Women's World No 13
15 IM
Kashlinskaya
Alina Russia 2492 Women's World No 15
16 GM
Dronavalli
Harika India 2492 Women's World No 14
17 IM
Sadhwani
Raunak India 2482 Junior
18 GM
Stefanova
Antoaneta Bulgaria 2474 Women's World No 19
19 IM
Paehtz
Elisabeth Germany 2473 Women's World No 20
20 GM
Cramling
Pia Sweden 2465 Women's World No 21
21 IM
Saduakassova
Dinara Kazakhstan 2458 Women's World No 24
22 GM
Ushenina
Anna Ukraine 2443 Women's World No 34
23 IM
Bulmaga
Irina Romania 2435 Women's World No 36
24 GM
Batsiashvili
Nino Georgia 2433 Women's World No 38
25 IM
Houska
Jovanka England 2422 Women's World No 46
26 IM
Munguntuul
Batkhuyag Mongolia 2420 Women's World No 48
27 WGM
Soumya
Swaminathan India 2402 Women's World No 63
28
Wu
Li England 2332 Isle of Man resident
29 IM
Kolbus
Dietmar Germany 2277 Isle of Man resident
30
Allen
Keith Ireland 2207 Isle of Man resident
31
Dahl
Baard England 2067 Isle of Man resident

[David Sedgwick]

Major is U 2100

2100 and below, strictly speaking, on the 1st October FIDE Rating List.

Minor is 1750 and below, on the 1st October FIDE Rating List.

[Roger de Coverly]

The FIDE site now lists the qualifiers.

https://www.fide.com/component/content/ ... swiss.html

Of English players, Adams, Howell, Jones, McShane and Sadler all make the cut. Nigel is listed as a reserve. He may not wish to play, given that he's not on the wildcard list.

There are still some wildcard places. Perhaps one is pencilled in for the British Champion, given than none of the top 6 have entered.

[Bob Kane]

The Major:
Accommodation at the venue seems to be fully booked..

However the organisers have kindly laid on a bus from the promenade


FIDE rating of 2100 and below on the October 2019 rating list, subject to a maximum of 35 players.
Venue: Comis Hotel and Golf Resort, Mount Murray Road, Santon, Isle of Man IM4 2HT. The Major
and Minor will be held in the golf club function room, about a 3 minute walk from the main hotel.
There will be a free bus service from Douglas promenade to the Comis hotel before and after play,
plus a regular mini-bus service throughout the day.
Entry fee: £30
The entry fee will be reduced by 50% for Chess.com Diamond Members, on condition that they have
Diamond membership both at the date of entry and at the date of the first round of the tournament.
Please quote your Chess.com username in the relevant field of the entry form.
Prize fund GBP 5,000:
1
st £1,300; 2
nd £850; 3rd £650; 4th £500; 5th £400; 6th £300; 7th £200; 8th £150
Best relative rating achievement:
1900 – 1999 £100
1800 – 1899 £100
1700 – 1799 £100
1699 and below £100

[Kevin Thurlow]

"subject to a maximum of 35 players"

Interesting.