Bilbao

THE BILBAO MASTERS FINAL 2016 TO TAKE PLACE FROM JULY 20th TO 30th

Carlsen from Norway and Viswanathan Anand from India – current world champion and runner up respectively – have committed themselves to participating

Bilbao, 3rd March 2016

The Bilbao Chess Grand Slam Masters Final 2016 will take place between the 20th and 30th July, its organizing committee has announced today.

The ninth edition of Masters Final has been brought forward from its usual date in the calendar of the most important international chess events, making way for November’s clash in the individual world championship between the current champion, Magnus Carlsen, and the winner of the Candidates Tournament which will begin on the 11th March in Moscow.

As well as the earlier staging of the event, the Bilbao Masters Final 2016 also has other changes, such as the return to its traditional format of six competitors.

The organizers of what is now one of the most prestigious tournaments in the chess calendar are currently negotiating the participation of six of the top ten world grand masters. When this powerful line-up is confirmed, the Bilbao Final will maintain its standing as one of the main reference points in world chess for another year.

In fact both Carlsen from Norway and Viswanathan Anand from India – current world champion and runner up respectively – have committed themselves to participating. Along with them, Hikaru Nakamura from the United States has also confirmed his presence in this prestigious tournament in Bilbao.

The American of Philippine origin, Wesley Slo, is the current holder of the title, achieving the honour at the 2015 edition after a dramatic tiebreak against the Dutchman Anish Giri. Along with So, who is one of the great emerging talents in the sport, the list of the Final’s titleholders include, amongst others, the current world champion Magnus Carlsen, and runner-up Viswanathan Anand.

The organization of the Masters Final is also working on the design of an open international tournament to take place at the same time at the end of July. They are expecting the presence of grand masters and international masters from numerous countries, given both the amount of prize money to be played for and the attraction of Bilbao as one of main capitals of world chess.

Press Office
Chess Grand Slam Masters Final

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