The 2022 Chess.com Rapid Chess Championship is a world-class online rapid event series for the top-100 players, top 10 women, and top 10 Juniors in the world. From February 12 until August 28, these chess stars will be able to compete in weekly Swiss and knockout events to fight for the top of the standings and their share of the $650,000 prize fund—the largest prize fund in Chess.com’s history.

Players

Top 100 players, according to FIDE’s classical rating list
Top 10 Junior players
Top 10 women players
Any player who has been in any of the categories above from January 2021 through the current FIDE list is eligible to play.

Regular Season

Swiss events occur on Saturdays, knockout events on Sundays
Events start at 9 a.m. PT/18:00 CET
February 12-June 12
2022 Candidates Tournament break: June 13-July 8
July 9-August 21
Finals

August 25: Round of 16
August 26: Quarterfinals
August 27: Semifinals
August 28: Final

Format

The 2022 Chess.com Rapid Chess Championship consists of a Regular Season and the Finals. The Regular Season features Swiss and knockout events every Saturday and Sunday, with players earning Grand Prix points according to their standings on these events. At the end of the Regular Season, the top 12 players with the most Grand Prix points qualify to join four invited players in the Rapid Chess Championship Finals.

Regular Season
Saturday Swiss Events

The time control is 10+0.
Players compete in a nine-round Swiss tournament.
The top eight players qualify for that weekend’s knockout tournament.
In the event of a tie, Swiss tournament tiebreakers apply.
Sunday Knockout Events

The time control is 10+2.
Players are seeded by order of finish from the prior Swiss event for that weekend into an eight-player knockout bracket.
If a player is unable to compete on Sunday, the next highest-seeded player takes their place.
Players play one game, with the higher seed playing White.
If the first game is drawn: players play one game of 3+2 with the lower-seeded player playing with the white pieces.
If players are still tied, players play one game of 1+1 with the higher seed playing with the white pieces.
If players are still tied, a single armageddon game is played with the higher seed choosing a color.
Finals
To be announced at a later date.

Grand Prix Points

Players accumulate Grand Prix points throughout the season according to their performance in each weekly event:

1st: 10 points
2nd: 7 points
3rd-4th: 5 points
5th-8th: 3 points
9th-16th: 2 points
17th-32nd: 1 points
The top 12 players with the most Grand Prix points earn the right to compete in the Rapid Chess Championship Finals.

Prizes

The prize fund for the event is $650,000, with $500,000 in prizes for the weekly Swiss and knockout events and a $150,000 prize pool for the Rapid Chess Championship Finals.

Weekly Prize Fund: $20,000

1st: $7,500
2nd: $3,500
3rd: $2,500
4th: $2,500
5th-8th: $1,000

Finals Prize Fund: $150,000

1st: $30,000
2nd: $20,000
3rd: $16,000
4th: $12,000
5th-8th: $8,000
9th-16th: $5,000

How To Play In The Event

Only players in FIDE’s top 100 list for classical rating from January 2021 through the current published rating list are eligible to play in the 2022 Chess.com Rapid Chess Championship. Also eligible to participate are the top 10 women and top 10 Juniors by classical rating from January 2021 through the current published rating list.

Any qualified player who has a preferred account that is not yet added to the official club must contact titled@chess.com to be added to the official club.

Identification Requirements And Fair Play

All accounts must be labeled with the player’s real name.
All players will be required to join a Zoom call for all Swiss events
Players must have a two-camera setup for the knockout events.
Players must have the ability to share their screen upon request.
Players are allowed to stream the event with emote-only chat.

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