2022 Meltwater Champions Chess Tour dates announced

The next Meltwater Champions Chess Tour will feature 9 tournaments, beginning on February 19th, 2022 and concluding with the final from November 11-20. The Tour, that helped launch and has benefited from the huge boom in online chess in the last couple of years, is now becoming an established feature of the chess calendar, with Norway’s TV 2 signing an agreement to broadcast it live for an additional five years after this year’s Tour concludes in October.

The Aimchess US Rapid, the last regular event on the Meltwater Champions Chess Tour, starts on August 28th, before the final takes place a month later from September 25th. Plans are well underway, however, for the next edition of the Tour, with the dates already set for 2022.

The schedule has been agreed in consultation with FIDE and major tournament organisers as we head into an exciting new era for chess when online and over-the-board events will combine to provide both great opportunities for players and almost non-stop entertainment for chess fans.

Meltwater Champions Chess Tour 2022 Season Schedule

Tournament 1          Sat 19 Feb — Sun 27 Feb
Tournament 2          Sat 19 Mar — Sun 27 Mar

Major 1                   Wed 20 Apr — Thu 28 Apr

Tournament 3          Wed 18 May — Thu 26 May
Tournament 4          Tue 28 Jun — Wed 06 Jul

Major 2                   Mon 01 Aug — Tue 09 Aug

Tournament 5          Sat 17 Sep — Sun 25 Sep
Tournament 6          Fri 14 Oct — Sat 22 Oct

Final                       Fri 11 Nov — Sun 20 Nov

The Tour has been given a vote of confidence by a long-term deal with Norwegian TV. Sports Editor at TV 2, Vegard Jansen Hagen, commented of the new 5-year broadcast rights deal:

The agreement secures TV 2 access to premium level chess for years to come. Chess has developed into a steadily growing tv sport in Norway. Partnering with the Meltwater Champions Chess Tour enables us to offer an engaging broadcast in a viewer friendly rapid chess format. The duration of the Tour and intervals between the tournaments also make chess an almost year-round sport, featuring the top international Grandmasters.

More than 25 million hours of the Meltwater Champions Chess Tour have been watched so far on online streaming platforms in its inaugural season, with two events still remaining.

Next up is the Aimchess US Rapid, that starts on Saturday August 28th with World Champion Magnus Carlsen topping the line-up. Follow all the action live here on chess24.