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IIFL Wealth Chess 5 - It cannot get bigger than this!

by Praful Zaveri - 16/11/2019

This new year, if you are a chess player, you have to celebrate it in Mumbai! The IIFL Wealth Chess is back. This time it's the fifth edition and it is bigger and better than ever before. The total prize fund of all the events combined is Rs.50 lakh! For the first time in many years we will witness a GM Open in India with a rating cut off of 2250 and above! In the under-13 Juniors section, the winner will take back home a whopping prize fund of Rs.2,50,000. There is also a Masters Open (2250 and below) and a Challengers Open (2150 and below). Finally we have a blitz event open for all with a prize fund of Rs.2 lakh. In this article you will get all the information about this mega event!

On behalf of the entire team of EKA IIFL Investment Managers, it gives me immense pleasure in welcoming chess players from all over the world to participate in season 5 of IIFL Wealth Mumbai International Chess Tournament at World Trade Centre, Cuffe Parade, Mumbai - 400005 from 30 December 2019 to 07 January 2020.

 

This edition is special for two reason!

1) This will be the 50th birthday of our patron, GM Viswanathan Anand - the pride of India!

2) This will be the 5th edition of our event - we had take a small step and are now all set to take a giant leap!!

To celebrate both these milestones:,

I) We have increased the prize fund of the tournament to a whopping 50 Lakhs!

II) We have 5 Tournaments!!

1. GM Open (Rated 2251 & above): 17 Lakhs
2. Junior (Under-13) Open: 10 Lakhs
3. Masters Open (Rated 2250 & below): 11 Lakhs
4. Challengers Open (Rated 2150 & below): 10 Lakhs
5. Blitz Rating: 2 Lakhs

 

Last year we had 800+ participants in four events and this year we hope to break the magical mark of 1000 participants! Besides bettering records in terms of numbers, we also hope that each of the 5 events will also set a new benchmark.

GM Open

The GM Open this year is 'Open' for players above rated 2251 and above (As per the 1st December 2019 Fide rating list) and I am excited that we are going to have norms galore!

The rating cut off of 2251 and above makes this event like the Goodricke event that was held back in the 80s and 90s! You can see a young Vishy Anand taking part here. His opponent, the well-known chess commentator and tutor, Daniel King.

There are only 11 prizes in the section, but look at the amounts!

This is one of the best features of the event - a single round each day! Also in the time control you will have a 30 minute increment after 40 moves.

Under-13 Open

Our marquee event is Junior (Under-13) Open, which is a platform for budding chess players. An amazing thing to note is that two of the winners from last four editions have already gone on to become GMs!

Season 1: Raunak Sadhwani - GM
Season 2: V Pranav
Season 3: Gukesh - GM
Season 4: Aaryan Varshaney

The champions of the first edition in 2016 in under-13 and Open - Raunak Sadhwani (right) and Swapnil Dhopade (left) along with Praful Zaveri, the author of these lines | Photo: Priyadarshan Banjan

Gukesh, who won the title in season 3 went on to become the youngest GM in the history of Indian chess. The winner of the open section Parham Maghsoodloo is also now one of the strongest GMs in the world.

To help our country's budding talents, we are offering free entries to the top finishers of AICF Nationals/National School and also the champions from the State of Maharashtra. For eligibility criteria, please refer the circular at the end of the article.

The largest prize money event for under-13 players all across the world

Masters and Challengers Open 2019

We have added two more events - Masters Open (2250 & below) & Challengers Open (2150 & below) wherein we expect a strong line up coupled with challenges from Amateurs who want to increase their rating. For more details about these events download the circular from the end of the article.

Blitz event

There is also a blitz tournament that has been organized which is open for everyone! The total prize fund is Rs 2.lakh, so you can expect a good strong participation!

The time control for the blitz and schedule

Details for the contact person and the link for remitting the entry fees

Come, be a part of the IIFL Wealth event in Mumbai! There is something for everyone here!

When it comes to the playing conditions, IIFL Wealth events have known to be the best!

Winning a prize at the hands of the legend is always an added attraction!

Important links

Download circular

Official website

Pay your entry fee

About the author

FI Praful Zaveri is the founder of Indian Chess School Academy. He is a popular trainer in Mumbai and also the author of the critically acclaimed beginners' manual 'The Chess Course'. His vision is to build the chess culture in his hometown Mumbai as well as India and help the country produce many more grandmasters in future. The IIFLW chess festival is his brainchild.

 


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