10 top players will take place in the Jerusalem Masters closed tournament:

5 players from the Israeli national team and 5 players amongst the top chess players in the world.

The guaranteed total prize fund of the competition is 75,500 USD:

1st place 30,000 USD

2nd place 20,000 USD

3rd place 10,000 USD

4th place 5,000 USD

5th place 3,000 USD

6th place 1,500 USD

7th place 1,500 USD

8th place 1,500 USD

9th place 1,500 USD

10th place 1,500 USD

 

Time control: 15 minutes, with a 5-second increment for a single round-robin tournament with 9 rounds

 

24 September

Round 1 – 14.00

Round 2 – 15.00

Round 3 – 16.00

Round 4 – 17:00

Round 5 – 18:00

25 September

Round 6 – 14.00

Round 7 – 15.00

Round 8 – 16.00

Round 9 – 17.00

Jorden Van Foreest NED
Fide Rating: 2696
Peak Rating: 2715
Age: 25

Jorden became famous after winning the Tata Steel Masters in 2021, finishing ahead of the very best players in the World, including Carlsen, Giri, Caruana, and more. As a consequence, he joined the 2700 Elo Club.

He comes from a family with a tradition of chess playing spanning 5 generations and more than a century, and is part of the Dutch squad, usually playing on the second board after Anish Giri.

Well known as a King’s Indian Defense expert, Smirin has represented Israel in no less than 12 Olympiads since 1992, including a bronze medal in 2010. His playing is tremendously entertaining, as both White and Black, always looking for attacking option, and usually succeeding.

Ilia Smirin ISR
Fide Rating: 2575
Peak Rating: 2687
Age: 54

Vasyl Ivanchuk UKR
Fide Rating: 2635
Peak Rating: 2787
Age: 55

At his peak, Ivanchuk was considered a World Champion level player, well known for his brilliant and creative ideas. With the amazing record of 8 Olympic medals (for the USSR and then Ukraine) “the genius” can win against any player in the world.

One of his most unforgettable moments, was the 14.Qxe6 against Karjakin in 2008, sacrificing a piece for just a pawn (!), but crashing Black’s king’s position.

Vasyl won the World Rapid Chess Championship in 2016. He defeated Carlsen, among many others.

A chess talent from a young age, he was the youngest Israeli Champion in history, at only 17 years old in 2006. As a member of the National Team, he won two medals in the Chess Olympiads: a silver medal in the 2008 Chess Olympiad and a bronze medal in the 2010 Chess Olympiad.

He also was one of the few Israeli players to cross the 2700 Fide rating at his peak.

Maxim Rodshtein ISR
Fide Rating: 2600
Peak Rating: 2710
Age: 35

Peter Svidler RUS
Fide Rating: 2698
Peak Rating: 2769
Age: 48

An eight-time Russian Chess Champion, he reached the 4th place in the Fide list of January 2004.

In 2011, he won the World Cup, beating Fabiano Caruana, Gata Kamsky, Judit Polar and Alexander Grischuk, among others.

Besides being a top player, Svidler is also a great chess commentator in big events, always explaining each position clearly and deeply, in a way every chess lover can understand.

A constant member of the Israeli National Team, Postny has been a professional chess player for his entire adult life, playing in numerous different leagues and tournaments and keeping his passion both for the game and for representing his country.

Evgeny Postny ISR
Fide Rating: 2577
Peak Rating: 2674
Age: 43

Daniil Dubov RUS
Fide Rating: 2693
Peak Rating: 2720
Age: 28

Dubov was a chess prodigy from a young age, winning 2 medals in the European youth championship.  He achieved his final norm for the Grandmaster title at the age of 14 years and 11 months in 2011.

In 2018, Daniil won the World Rapid Chess Championship ahead of Carlsen and Nakamura.

Dubov served as one of Magnus Carlsen’s seconds for the World Chess Championship 2018 against Caruana and again in 2021 against Ian Nepomniachtchi.

 

Avital Boruchovsky is a member of the Israeli chess team. He was European Champion for youth under the age of 18 in 2014. In the same year, he achieved the record of the youngest Grandmaster in the history of Israel until then – achieving this rank at the age of 17 years and 7 months.

Avital Boruchovsky ISR
Fide Rating: 2537
Peak Rating: 2565
Age: 27

Pavel Eljanov UKR
Fide Rating: 2679
Peak Rating: 2765
Age: 41

Being a top player for almost 20 years, with his peak in 2010 (6th place in the world), Eljanov is a player that every team is happy to have in the league. His professionalism is well known, and he worked as a second in the World Championship for Boris Gelfand and Magnus Carlsen, in 2007 and 2013, respectively.

 

Ido is the current Israeli Champion, and part of the new generation of players rising in Israel.

Playing on the second board of the Israeli National Team in the Olympiad, the young Grandmaster has a great future ahead of him.

Ido Gorshtein ISR
Fide Rating: 2543
Peak Rating: 2563
Age: 22

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