All You Need to Know About the 2024 World Rapid and Blitz Team Championships
The 2024 World Rapid and Blitz Team Championships in Astana, Kazakhstan, will feature over 350 players from 39 teams, including top names like Ding Liren, Magnus Carlsen, Ju Wenjun, and Hou Yifan. The event will combine rapid and blitz formats with a prize fund of €350,000 and additional activities like the FIDE 100 Torch Relay celebration.
In 2023, we witnessed the inaugural FIDE World Rapid Team Championship featuring approximately 300 participants worldwide, formed up 36 teams to compete. The list of participants included former world champions, such as Viswanathan Anand, Vladimir Kramnik, Hou Yifan, Mariya Muzychuk and Alexandra Kosteniuk, as well as elite players like Ian Nepomniachtchi, Fabiano Caruana, Levon Aronian and Kateryna Lagno. With a record of two draws and ten wins out of 12 matches, securing a total of 22 matchpoints, the team WR Chess claimed the victory.
Following the success of the 2023 World Rapid Teams competition in Düsseldorf, Germany, this year’s edition in Astana promises even more excitement with the addition of a blitz tournament. The 2024 World Rapid and Blitz Team Championships are set to kick off on 1 August in Astana, Kazakhstan. This highly anticipated five-day event will bring together some of the biggest names in chess, including world champion Ding Liren and the world’s top-rated player, Magnus Carlsen.
Notable teams include
• China Team for 10 years: Featuring World Champions Wenjun Ju and Ding Liren.
• WR Chess Team: Boasting stars like Magnus Carlsen, Ian Nepomniachtchi, and Hou Yifan.
• ALAIN ACMG UAE: With prominent players Daniil Dubov and Vladimir Fedoseev.
• ASHDOD CHESS CLUB: Including talents like Nihal Sarin and Pavel Eljanov.
• Team MGD1: Highlighting Arjun Erigaisi.
• Chessy: Represented by GM Anna Muzychuk.
Tournament Format
Rapid Tournament:
• Format: 12-round Swiss system.
• Time Control: 15 minutes per game plus a 10-second increment per move.
Blitz Tournament:
• Format: Divided into two stages.
• Stage 1: Teams are grouped into pools and play a round-robin format.
• Stage 2: The top 16 teams advance to a knockout stage.
• Time Control: 3 minutes per game plus a 2-second increment per move.
Prize fund
The total prize fund for the event is a staggering €350,000, with €250,000 allocated for the Rapid Tournament and €100,000 for the Blitz Tournament.
The 2024 World Rapid and Blitz Team Championships promise to be an exhilarating showcase of chess talent and strategy, featuring a diverse mix of seasoned grandmasters and ambitious amateurs. With a substantial prize fund and the participation of some of the biggest names in the chess world, the event is set to highlight the growing global appeal of chess. As teams from around the world converge in Astana, the championships will undoubtedly provide thrilling matches and memorable moments, further elevating the profile of this timeless game.
