Cover photo: Ilyuza Mingazova

Starting 22 July, Uralsk in western Kazakhstan will host a nine-round classical open tournament with a whopping $50,000 prize fund up for grabs.

Four lucky players can qualify through a series of tournaments held only on Lichess. They will have their flights, full board, and accommodation in Uralsk covered for them by the Kazakhstan Chess Federation – as well as a share of a $2,000 prize fund for the online qualifier.

The Lichess qualifier will have three stages. The first will comprise twelve open-entry arena tournaments, aimed especially towards the timezones of North and South America, Europe, and Central Asia / India.  

The top 20 players from each arena will then play a single 11-round Swiss tournament, where they may be joined by up to ten wildcard players.

Finally, the top seven finishers from the Swiss tournament will be joined by a wildcard player, and the qualifiers will be determined by single-encounter Round Robin Tournament. 

Everyone who makes it to the knockout stage will receive a share of a $2,000 prize fund. 

Prize fund

The Kazakhstan Chess Federation has contributed $2,000 towards the online prize fund, a share of which will be awarded to everyone who qualifies to the Round Robin stage of the qualifier, broken down as follows:

• 1st – $400 and flights, full board and accommodation to the Uralsk Open, with a ~$50,000 total prize fund on offer (around $10,000 to first place).
• 2nd – $350 and flights, full board and accommodation to the Uralsk Open
• 3rd – $300 and flights, full board and accommodation to the Uralsk Open
• 4th – $250 and flights, full board and accommodation to the Uralsk Open
• 5th to 8th – $175 each

Schedule and regulations

Twelve first-stage arenas will be held online. Each arena will be two hours long, with a time control of 3+0. Berserk will be allowed. The top 20 players from each arena will qualify to the second stage. Players may enter multiple arenas as long as they have not already qualified.

• Arena 1: Sunday 11 June, 06:00 UTC
• Arena 2: Sunday 11 June, 17:00 UTC
• Arena 3: Monday 12 June, 10:00 UTC
• Arena 4: Monday 12 June, 23:59 UTC
• Arena 5: Tuesday 13 June, 15:00 UTC
• Arena 6: Wednesday 14 June, 12:00 UTC
• Arena 7: Wednesday 14 June, 21:00 UTC
• Arena 8: Thursday 15 June, 20:00 UTC
• Arena 9: Friday 16 June, 14:00 UTC
• Arena 10: Friday 16 June, 23:59 UTC
• Arena 11: Saturday 17 June, 09:00 UTC
• Arena 12: Saturday 17 June, 19:00 UTC

In the second stage, a single Swiss tournament will be held for at least 240 players. This will be an 11-round tournament with a time control of 5+2. The top seven players from the tournament will qualify for the third stage.

• Swiss Qualifier: Sunday 18 June, 14:00 UTC

A single encounter Round Robin tournament for the top seven players from the Swiss tournament, plus a Lichess wildcard. The time control will be 10+2

• Round Robin Stage: Saturday 24 June, 14:00 UTC

All players in the knockout stage will be required to join an online call with FIDE-licensed arbiters. Lichess also reserves the right to ask for this at earlier stages.
Interested players should read the full regulations carefully. All qualifier participants will be assumed to have consented to the regulations, which can be found here. 

If you would like to be considered for a wildcard spot for either the Swiss or knockout stages, please complete this online form. Wildcards will be decided based on a combination of factors, including age, rating, and current playing opportunities. All wildcard decisions are final and made solely at the discretion of Lichess.

About the Kazakhstan Cup

The Kazakhstan Cup is a series of tournaments held in Kazakhstan and organised by the Kazakhstan Chess Federation. These qualifier events are possible thanks to the generosity of the Kazakhstan Chess Federation.

The tournament held in Uralsk will be a nine-round event with a time control of 90+30.