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FIDE World Blitz Chess Championship 2024

CompletedTier S

The 2024 World Blitz Chess Championship (commonly referred to as FIDE World Blitz) is the official top tier and the premier competition in the fast-paced chess sport for 2024. This historic edition was held in New York City, organized by the International Chess Federation (FIDE).

ChessDec 30, 2024 – Dec 31, 2024New York, United StatesUnited States$450,000FIDE

Format

Stage 1: Swiss System (13 Rounds)

  • Time Control: 3 minutes for the entire game, with a 2-second increment per move starting from move one ($3+2$).

  • Qualification: The top 8 players with the highest scores advance to the knockout stage.

  • Tie-Break Criteria: If two or more players finish with the same number of points, ties are broken using the following system (in descending order of priority):

    1. Buchholz Cut 1

    2. Total Buchholz

    3. Average Blitz Rating of Opponents Cut 1

    4. Direct Encounter (head-to-head result between the tied players)

    5. Drawing of Lots

Stage 2: Knockout Bracket

  • Seeding: Pairings and brackets are determined strictly by the final standings of the Swiss stage.

  • Match Format: Head-to-head matches consisting of 4 games.

  • Time Control: Identical to the Swiss stage ($3+2$).

  • Tie-Break Procedure: If a match ends in a tie after 4 games, sudden-death blitz games are played to determine the winner:

    • A single game is played under the same time control.

    • If that game ends in a draw, another game is played immediately with reversed colors.

    • This sudden-death cycle repeats continuously until a player wins a game, concluding the match.