This year's London Chess Classic has a radically new format. Instead of a single round-robin of classical chess, this year's creation is a multi-stage rapid event. There are four four-player groups, and within each there will be a double round-robin taking place from Wednesday through Friday. The top two from each group proceed to Saturday's quarter-finals, and the semi-finals and finals will take place on Sunday.
Here is the composition of each of the four groups:
Group A:
Group B:
Group C:
Group D:
The expected qualifiers from groups B and D seem fairly obvious, but in both groups A and C three players would seem to have very good chances. The world's #1 - the world champion! - and #2 players are missing, but a good chunk of the world elite is here. Play begins at 2 p.m. local time/9 a.m. ET.