Both the Open and Women’s tournaments will be held in historic venues at the heart of New York's financial district

FIDE is pleased to announce the venues for both the Open and Women’s competitions of the 2024 World Rapid & Blitz Championship, which will take place from 26 to 31 December. For the first time, this prestigious event – one of the most prominent chess tournaments in the world – will be held in New York City.

Photo: cipriani.com/

The Open tournament will take place at Cipriani Wall Street, a historic architectural landmark located in the heart of New York’s financial district. Built in 1841 in the Greek Revival style, the building has previously housed the New York Merchants' Exchange, the New York Stock Exchange, the U.S. Customs House, and served as headquarters for the National City Bank. Today, Cipriani Wall Street is renowned as a grand and luxurious venue, and this will mark the first time it hosts a chess tournament of this scale.

The Women’s tournament will be held right across the street at 48 Wall Street, another historic venue that once housed the Bank of New York & Trust Company Building and the Museum of American Finance.

Photo: 48wallnyc.com/

Wall Street is synonymous with global financial power and is home to the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), the world’s largest stock exchange. The area also hosts the headquarters of several Fortune 500 companies across industries like media, technology, and real estate.

"The Championships will be held in world-class venues, which underlines the unique place chess occupies in the society. I see this event as a potential landmark moment for our game," said Emil Sutovsky, CEO of FIDE.

"We are thrilled to organize an event of this scale in the heart of global finance, and we believe shares of Chess are to rise globally as a result of it. FIDE is grateful to our partners and sponsors at Freedom Capital Markets for their support," Sutovsky added.

FIDE first announced in June that the World Rapid & Blitz Championship will take place in New York. In early September it was revealed that the event will feature a new two-stage format combining the Swiss System with knockout finals. For the first time, a rest day will be included, during which the Chess on the Wall Street Conference will explore the intersections of chess, finance, and business.

Venues:

- Open tournament:

 Cipriani Wall Street

 55 Wall Street, between William & Hanover Streets, New York, NY 10005

- Women’s tournament:

 48 Wall Street

 48 Wall Street, New York, NY, 10005

More information about tickets, prize pools, and event details will be released soon.