As per the decision made at the FIDE Council meeting on December 27, a playoff system has been introduced for the Candidates Tournament to be played in the case of a tie for first place. 

This decision has been taken after consultation with all the players who have already qualified for the competition. A majority of them favoured a play-off over the tie-break system used in previous editions. The play-off will be played no matter how many players tie for first. The system includes rapid and blitz games, in case only rapid is not enough. 

Here are the key points of a new play-off system:

In case of a tie for first place in the Candidates Tournament, a play-off will be played that may consist of up to three stages.

Stage I

If there are two players tied for the first place they will play a match of two rapid games (15 min + 10 sec).

In case of a 3-6-way tie, a round-robin rapid tournament will be played (15 min + 10 sec).

Stage II (played in case of a tie after Stage I)

If there are two players tied they will play a match of two blitz games (3 min + 2 sec).

In case of a three-way tie (or more) a round-robin blitz tournament will be played (3 min + 2 sec).

Stage III (played in case of a tie after Stage II)

In case of a tie, depending on number of players, either knockout match or knockout tournament will be played. Each match consists of a single blitz game (3 min +2 sec). The colours are determined by drawing of lots. In case of a draw, another game will be played with the colours reversed. If there is another draw, the opponents will play until the decisive outcome.  

The Regulations for the event have been updated with the new rules and they can be found under paragraph 4.4.2. 

The Candidates Tournament 2022 will take place in Madrid, Spain, from June 16 to July 5.