10 October 2019
FIDE Chess.com Grand Swiss Officially Opened in the Isle of Man
Magnus Carlsen picked the white colour.
The inaugural FIDE Chess.com Grand Swiss was officially opened at the Comis Hotel near the Isle of Man capital, Douglas, on October 9.
FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich, the Isle of Man Chief Minister Howard Quayle MHK, and tournament director Alan Ormsby gave speeches at the opening ceremony.
The top seed Magnus Carlsen picked the white piece during the drawing of lots. That means that all participants with odd numbers will have White in the first round.
Altogether 154 top world chess players, from 42 countries, are taking part in a competition which will decide the final qualifier for the Candidates tournament determining the challenger for the title of the World Champion.
Russia is represented by the most number of players - 26.
First games will be played on October 10. The round begins at 5 p.m. (Moscow time).
Round 1 pairings
Official website
