Starting On Saturday: The Champions Chess Tour Finals 2023 Live From Toronto

The grand finale of Chess.com’s premier elite chess event, the $2 million Champions Chess Tour, kicks off on Saturday in Toronto, Canada, with eight of the world’s top players going head-to-head for the title of 2023 champion.

All eyes will be on the Tour Finals favorites, GM Magnus Carlsen and GM Hikaru Nakamura. The two biggest names in chess head the line-up and when they meet it will be box office.

The Finals start on December 9 at 12 p.m. ET/18:00 CET/22:30 IST and feature a $500,000 prize fund. Carlsen, the 32-year-old Norwegian, is going for a hat-trick of Tour wins having won in 2021 and 2022 and has had heaped praise on his rival in the run-up.
Nakamura, meanwhile, finished runner-up to Carlsen in the Airthings Masters before beating Caruana in April to win the Chessable Masters, an event in which Carlsen finished third. He is widely-considered Carlsen’s main threat.

But there is plenty of room for a surprise. Also on the roster are American GMs Fabiano Caruana and Wesley So, Uzbek sensation GM Nodirbek Abdusattorov, Iranian-born French GM Alireza Firouzja, this year’s breakout star GM Denis Lazavik, and the “tricky Frenchman” GM Maxime Vachier-Lagrave. Each one has their own strengths and weaknesses, and each one is capable of beating anyone in the field.

For the first time, the last act of the greatest season-long tournament in chess will be held fully in person and over the board. It is the event chess fans have been waiting for.

The ONE Hotel in Toronto, Canada, takes center stage. The event will also feature a fanzone hosted by the popular Chessbrahs in their home city on Friday December 15 and the final day, Saturday December 16.

The winner will be crowned Tour Champion 2023 and pick up the $200,000 first prize in addition to winnings already earned. In total, $500,000 is on offer at the Tour Finals.

The Champions Chess Tour Finals 2023 is the biggest, boldest, and most exhilarating chess event of the year. It’s time to crown a new chess champion, and you’re invited to the front-row seat.

You can watch the Champions Chess Tour Finals 2023 from 12 p.m. ET/18:00 CET/22:30 IST on Chess.com/TV, our Twitch channel and catch all our live broadcasts on YouTube.com/Chess. The games can also be followed from our Events Page.