Chess.com is pleased to announce the date and details for the Grandmaster Blitz Battle Championship Qualifier. The winner will play Magnus Carlsen in the first round of the championship bracket.

Date : May 31 at 10 am PT

Format : 11 rounds, Swiss system

: 11 rounds, Swiss system Time Control: 3 minutes per game, no increment

Prizes: $5,000 in total prize money and entry as the 8th seed into the Grandmaster Blitz Battle Championship.

in total prize money and entry as the 8th seed into the Grandmaster Blitz Battle Championship. Tiebreaks: Armageddon games will be played between tied players until a winner is determined.

Armageddon games will be played between tied players until a winner is determined. Coverage: Grandmaster commentary on Chess.com/TV and Twitch.tv/Chess.

A head-to-head blitz match against Carlsen is a rare opportunity itself, but even the losing player in the match will win a minimum of $1,000. Another $1,000 will be split between the players based on point percentage.

Want to sign up?! It's simple.

Entrants must have a minimum FIDE rating of 2400 classical or 2500 blitz (April 1, 2016 supplement). Entrants must hold the GM, IM or FM title and have a confirmed account with 50 blitz games played on chess.com . Entrants must join the official Chess.com group.

International Masters and Grandmasters: Join the group NOW!

Chess.com encourages entrants to join the official group as soon as possible so that we can verify credentials in a timely manner. Please monitor your accounts for communications in the event that further information is requested.

The $5,000 in prize money dedicated to the qualifier is the largest prize for a semi-closed/semi-open event in online chess history. The prize fund will be protected by the most sophisticated and comprehensive cheat-detection in online chess history.

Prize money will be allocated as follows.

Place prizes (1st-10th): $1,500-750-500-400-300-200-150-100-50-50

$1,500-750-500-400-300-200-150-100-50-50 Best Under 2700 : $500

$500 Best Under 2600: $300

$300 Best Under 2500: $200

Rating qualifications for under prizes will be based on classical FIDE ratings.

Who might be some of the favorites that will compete in the qualifier? Naturally, we hope our Titled Tuesday regulars will turn out.

Georg Meier has racked up the most Titled Tuesday wins with six. Other perennial possible candidates include Baadur Jobava, Dmitry Andreikin, Laurent Fressinet, Francisco Vallejo Pons (playing in his first Blitz Death Match on Monday, March 14th only at twitch.tv/chess), Jon Ludvig Hammer, Yu Yangyi, Sergei Movsesian, and Chessbrah Eric Hansen.



Will Meier be our Qualifier to play Magnus Carlsen?

Fressinet, good friends with Magnus, might he qualify on May 31st?

This is also a sterling opportunity for some of the world's 2700+ blitz specialists and Chess.com leaderboard players like Vladimir Fedoseev, Le Quang Liem, Zaven Andriasyan, Zviad Izoria, and Bartosz Socko to show their more classically inclined colleagues a pre-moved trick or two.

We hope you are as excited about this event as we are. Save the date to watch full commentary on Chess.com/TV and titled players with 2500+ FIDE Ratings, sign up!