Norway Chess 2023 | GothamChess YouTube recaps

The 2023 Norway Chess features a blitz tournament that precedes the classical event. The final standings of the blitz event determine players' seeds for the classical event.

Blitz Event

• 10-player single round-robin.
• Players earn 1 point for a win, 0.5 for a draw, and 0 for a loss.
• The time control is 3+2.
• In case there's a tie, the following tiebreakers apply:

1. Direct Encounter
2. Sonneborn-Berger
3. Koya System
4. The Koya System Extended
5. Drawing of lots

The winner of the blitz event picks their pairing number. The remaining players pick their pairing number, one by one, according to their final standings in the blitz tournament.

Classical

• 10-player single round-robin.
• Players earn 3 points for a win, 1.5 for a draw and armageddon win, 1 for a draw and armageddon loss, and 0 for a loss.
• Players can't draw by agreement before Black's 30th move, unless it's an armageddon game.
• The time control is 120 minutes for the entire game, with a 10-second increment per move starting on move 41.
• In case there's a tie, players contest an armageddon game where White has 10 minutes on their clock and Black has seven, with a one-second increment starting on move 41. Black has draw odds. The player who played White in the classical game plays White in the armageddon.

Classical Tiebreaks

If two players tie for first place, the following tiebreakers apply:

• A two-game blitz Playoff match with a 3+2 time control.
• If the tie persists, players contest another two-game blitz match.
• If still drawn, players contest an armageddon game. White gets 10 minutes, and Black gets 7 minutes with draw odds. The armageddon game has a one-second increment per move, starting on move 41.

If more than two players tie for first place, the following tiebreakers apply:

• Drawn players contest a double round-robin with the same tiebreakers as the blitz tournament.