Announcing The 2021 FIDE Chess.com Grand Swiss In Riga

The 2021 FIDE Chess.com Grand Swiss and the inaugural Women’s Grand Swiss are approaching fast, with the first games starting on October 27! The events will gather the best players in the world to compete in a Swiss tournament for two spots in the 2022 Candidates Tournament and one spot in the 2022 Women’s Candidates Tournament.

This year the Chess.com team will be on-site for the action in Riga, the birth city of legendary players like world champion GM Mikhail Tal, GM Alexei Shirov, and Aron Nimzowitsch. The city’s vibrant chess scene and the possibility to qualify for the 2022 Candidates Tournament are two of the reasons to tune in to the event. The star-studded field, however, will be the tournament’s high point.

Among the confirmed players is none other than GM Fabiano Caruana, the winner of the 2018 Candidates Tournament and one of the top players in the world. The American grandmaster is the highest-rated player of the event and one of the favorites to win. Fans are excited to see what Caruana will bring to the table in this classical tournament just a few days before joining Chess.com’s commentary team for the 2021 World Chess Championship.

Other confirmed players include world-class GMs Levon Aronian, Alexander Grischuk, Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, Shakhriyar Mamedyarov, Alireza Firouzja, Hikaru Nakamura, and more! Fans will be watching closely to see who among them will earn the right to compete in the next Candidates Tournament to try to snatch the world champion title from Magnus Carlsen or Ian Nepomniachtchi.

The Women’s Grand Swiss also promises to be an exciting event filled with elite players. GMs Kateryna Lagno, Mariya Muzychuk, and Nana Dzagnidze are only a few of the players who confirmed their presence. 2021 Women’s World Cup champion Alexandra Kosteniuk is another player joining the action in Riga.