FIDE Council has approved several changes to the FIDE Circuit 2025 Regulations based on feedback from the 2024 Circuit. These changes are designed to create a more balanced and competitive system for awarding FIDE Circuit points, ensuring that players are fairly rewarded for their performance in high-quality tournaments.
The key updates are:
1. Changes to the Number of Players Eligible for Circuit Points in Round-Robin Tournaments
- For tournaments with fewer than 10 participants, points will still be awarded to the top 3 finishers.
- In round-robin tournaments with 10–12 participants, points will be awarded to the top 4 finishers.
- For tournaments with more than 12 participants, the top 5 finishers will receive points.
Why? This change aims to better reflect the value of longer tournaments by awarding points to more players, ensuring that larger tournaments are rewarded fairly.
2. Eligibility of Double Round-Robin Super Tournaments
- Double round-robin tournaments with at least 6 participants and an average rating of 2700 Elo points will also be eligible for Circuit points.
Why? This change acknowledges the importance of prestigious super tournaments, which often feature top-level players and are key events in the FIDE calendar.
3. Reduction of Points for Tournaments with Multiple Rounds in One Day
- Tournaments with two rounds in one day will have a reduced total of Circuit points.
Why? The idea is to reduce points for shorter tournaments, where the compressed schedule might not reflect the same level of effort as longer events.