FIDE piloting “Fast Classic” standard tournaments

FIDE has launched a pilot project to reflect modern appetites for classical, but less slow chess. The current requirements for a game to be FIDE-rated are as follows (based on 60 moves played):

• If at least one player is rated 2400 or higher: 120 minutes per player
• If at least one player is rated 1800 or higher: 90 minutes per player
• If both players are rated below 1800: 60 minutes per player

Some examples include: 90+30 or 120+0 is 120 minutes, 60+30 is 90 minutes, and 60+0, 45+15, and 30+30 are all 60 minutes per player.

Three events will be played under a 45+30 time control and be standard rated: the Qatar Cup (September 7–13), QCA Training Center September Tournament Classical (September 25–27), and the Women’s World Team Championship (November 17–24). They include the stipulations that “no title norms will be awarded”, and that “organizers may not schedule more than two rounds per day.”

Faster games are easier to fit into one’s schedule, when a single game does not need to be the biggest event of the day — much less three games in a day, which is common in North American circles. They are also much more welcoming to newer players, who may be daunted by the possibility of spending four or five hours on a single game. Slower games will continue to exist, especially for the most prestigious tournaments, and it is good to have more of a mix of formats for players of all levels.

Read the full release on the FIDE website.