The FIDE Grand Prix 2008–2010 was a series of six chess tournaments that formed part of the qualification for the World Chess Championship 2012. It was administered by FIDE, the World Chess Federation. The event was won by Levon Aronian, with Teimour Radjabov second and Alexander Grischuk third.
The top two finishers here formed two of the eight players who played in the 2012 Candidates Tournament to determine the challenger for the world champion. After Magnus Carlsen withdrew from the Candidates, Grischuk took his place, due to his third place in the Grand Prix.
The winner of the Grand Prix was originally scheduled to play a match in 2010 against the winner of the Chess World Cup 2009, with the winner of that match becoming the challenger for the World Chess Championship 2012. On November 25, 2008, FIDE announced major changes, with the winner and runner-up qualifying instead for an eight-player Candidates Tournament. This caused a number of protests, with Magnus Carlsen and Michael Adams withdrawing, and two other players being replaced. (For details, see World Chess Championship 2012.)
A number of host cities withdrew, causing all the tournaments except the first two to be rescheduled.
Format
There were six tournaments spread over 2008, 2009 and 2010. Each of the 21 participating players was originally scheduled to play in exactly four of the six tournaments; though this was complicated when some players withdrew partway through.
Each tournament is a 14 player, single round-robin tournament. In each round players scored 1 point for a win, ½ point for a draw and 0 for a loss. Grand prix points were then allocated according to each player's standing in the tournament: 180 grand prix points for first place, 150 for second place, 130 for third place, and then 110 down to 10 points for places four to fourteen (decreasing by 10 points for each place). (Grand Prix points were split between players on equal tournament points).
Players only counted their best three tournament results. The player with the most grand prix points was the winner.
If a tie-break was needed for the overall grand prix winner, the system was: The fourth result not already in the top three performances The number of actual game points scored in the four tournaments The number of first-place finishes The number of second-place finishes The number of won games Drawing of lots
Tournament dates
The tournament dates and locations were as follows:
April 19 – May 6, 2008, Baku, Azerbaijan
July 30 – August 15, 2008, Sochi, Russia
December 13–29, 2008, Elista, Russia (rescheduled from Doha, Qatar, in November 2008) April 14–30, 2009, Nalchik, Russia (rescheduled from Montreux, Switzerland) August 9–24, 2009, Jermuk, Armenia (rescheduled from Elista, Russia) May 9–25, 2010, Astrakhan, Russia (rescheduled from Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic, in October 2009)
Draw rules
A variation from normal chess rules was that the players were not allowed to talk to each other during the game and a draw by agreement was not allowed. A draw has to be claimed with the arbiter, who was assisted by an active grandmaster who had the title for at least ten years. The only draws allowed (except for stalemate) were: Threefold repetition of position Fifty-move rule Perpetual check A theoretical draw.