# Grand Chess Tour 2015

Grand Chess Tour 2015 was an inaugural edition of Grand Chess Tour, an annual circuit of chess tournaments. It was won by incumbent World Chess Champion Magnus Carlsen.
The Grand Chess Tour was announced on April 24, 2015, prior to the match between Garry Kasparov and Nigel Short, and was billed as "the biggest announcement in professional chess since 1988." It had three events – Norway Chess in June, Sinquefield Cup in August and London Chess Classic in December. Each tournament consisted of nine regular tour players, who were selected based on their rating, and one wildcard.

## Format

Scoring system was as follows:
    PlacePoints 1st12/13* 2nd10 3rd8 4th7  5th6  6th5  7th4 8th3  9th2 10th1

## Lineup

Eight players, including World Champion Magnus Carlsen, were selected based on their ratings in January 2015. Ninth player invited to the tour was Maxime Vachier-Lagrave. Notably, Sergey Karjakin was absent, despite him being two-time Norway Chess winner and 11th on FIDE rankings in January 2015, while No. 8 Vladimir Kramnik and No. 10 Wesley So declined their invitations.
| Player | Country | Rating (January 2015) |
| Magnus Carlsen | Norway | 2862 |
| Fabiano Caruana | Italy | 2820 |
| Alexander Grischuk | Russia | 2810 |
| Veselin Topalov | Bulgaria | 2800 |
| Viswanathan Anand | India | 2797 |
| Levon Aronian | Armenia | 2797 |
| Anish Giri | Netherlands | 2784 |
| Hikaru Nakamura | United States | 2776 |
| Maxime Vachier-Lagrave | France | 2757 |

## Schedule and results

| Dates | Tournament | Host city | Winner | Runner-up | Third place |
| June 15–26 | Norway Chess | Stavanger | Veselin Topalov | Viswanathan Anand | Hikaru Nakamura |
| August 22–September 3 | Sinquefield Cup | St. Louis | Levon Aronian | Magnus Carlsen | Hikaru Nakamura |
| December 4–13 | London Chess Classic | London | Magnus Carlsen | Anish Giri | Maxime Vachier-Lagrave |

## Tournaments
### Norway Chess
#### Wildcard qualifier

EnterCard Chess Qualifier took place in Oslo, Norway on May 10–15, 2015, and determined last wildcard spot. Jon Ludvig Hammer of Norway won the tournament to qualify into the main event.
    EnterCard Chess Qualifier, May 10–15, Oslo, Norway PlayerClassicalRapidTotal Points Rating123456Points Rating123456Points 1 GM Jon Ludvig Hammer (NOR) 2665Does not appear112228 2578Does not appear1½½11412 2 GM Laurent Fressinet (FRA) 27121Does not appear21228 27070Does not appear½½11311 3 IM Aryan Tari (NOR) 252010Does not appear1114 2442½½Does not appear½113½7½ 4 GM Nils Grandelius (SWE) 2623011Does not appear215 2623½½½Does not appear001½6½ 5 GM Curt Hansen (DEN) 26210010Does not appear23 26210001Does not appear½1½4½ 6 GM Simen Agdestein (NOR) 262000110Does not appear2 25750001½Does not appear1½3½

#### Blitz tournament

Blitz tournament was played on June 15, 2015, to decide the pairings for the classical tournament. It was won by French grandmaster Maxime Vachier-Lagrave.
    3rd Norway Chess Blitz, 15 June 2015, Stavanger, Norway PlayerBlitz rating12345678910PointsBlackWinsBlack wins 1 Maxime Vachier-Lagrave (FRA)2826 Does not appear0½1½1½1116½ 2 Hikaru Nakamura (USA)2883 1Does not appear½0½101116 3 Viswanathan Anand (IND)2767 ½½Does not appear0011½115½543 4 Magnus Carlsen (NOR)2933 011Does not appear½½01½15½542 5 Anish Giri (NED)2771 ½½1½Does not appear0½½115½4 6 Levon Aronian (ARM)2816 000½1Does not appear½1115 7 Alexander Grischuk (RUS)2839 ½101½½Does not appear00½4 8 Veselin Topalov (BUL)2641 00½0½01Does not appear013 9 Fabiano Caruana (ITA)2679 000½0011Does not appear02½ 10 Jon Ludvig Hammer (NOR)2648 000000½01Does not appear1½

#### Classical tournament

    3rd Norway Chess, 16–25 June 2015, Stavanger, Norway, Category XXII (2782) PlayerRating12345678910PointsWinsH2HSBTPRTour points 1 Veselin Topalov (BUL)2798 ½½0½111116½294613 2 Viswanathan Anand (IND)2804 ½Does not appear½½½11½½163½24.75290410 3 Hikaru Nakamura (USA)2802 ½½Does not appear½1½½½1163½24.5029048 4 Anish Giri (NED)2773 1½½Does not appear½½½1½½5½28627 5 Fabiano Caruana (ITA)2805 ½½0½Does not appear½1½0½41½17.7527366 6 Maxime Vachier-Lagrave (FRA)2723 00½½½Does not appear½½1½41½15.7527455 7 Magnus Carlsen (NOR)2876 00½½0½Does not appear1103½226914 8 Alexander Grischuk (RUS)2781 0½½0½½0Does not appear½13½127023 9 Levon Aronian (ARM)2780 0½0½100½Does not appear½31½13.0026572 10 Jon Ludvig Hammer (NOR)2677 000½½½10½Does not appear31½11.752668 WC (1)

### Sinquefield Cup

    3rd Sinquefield Cup, 22 August – 3 September 2015, St. Louis, Missouri, United States, Category XXII (2794.6) PlayerRating12345678910PointsWinsH2HSBTPRTour Points 1 Levon Aronian (ARM)2765½1½½½½1½16292313 2 Magnus Carlsen (NOR)2853½Does not appear½1½001½153½21.25283110 3 Hikaru Nakamura (USA)28140½Does not appear½½10½1153½20.2528358 4 Maxime Vachier-Lagrave (FRA)2731½0½Does not appear½½1½½15228457 5 Anish Giri (NED)2793½½½½Does not appear1½½½½5128386 6 Alexander Grischuk (RUS)2771½10½0Does not appear½1104½327975 7 Veselin Topalov (BUL)2816½110½½Does not appear0½½4½227924 8 Fabiano Caruana (USA)280800½½½01Does not appear½½3½127133 9 Viswanathan Anand (IND)2816½½0½½0½½Does not appear½3½027122 10 Wesley So (USA)27790000½1½½½Does not appear32671 WC (1)

### London Chess Classic

    7th London Chess Classic, 3–14 December 2015, London, England, Category XXII (2784) PlayerRating12345678910PointsWinsH2HSBTPRTour Points 1 Magnus Carlsen (NOR)2834½½½1½½1½½5½2124.00285912 2 Anish Giri (NED)2784½Does not appear½½½½½1½15½2123.00286410 3 Maxime Vachier-Lagrave (FRA)2773½½Does not appear½½½½½115½2122.7528658 4 Levon Aronian (ARM)2788½½½Does not appear½½½½½1528277 5 Alexander Grischuk (RUS)27470½½½Does not appear½½½1½4½127886 6 Fabiano Caruana (USA)2787½½½½½Does not appear½½½½4½0½20.2527844.5 7 Michael Adams (ENG)2737½½½½½½Does not appear½½½4½0½20.252789 WC (4.5) 8 Hikaru Nakamura (USA)279300½½½½½Does not appear1½427403 9 Viswanathan Anand (IND)2796½½0½0½½0Does not appear13½27032 10 Veselin Topalov (BUL)2803½000½½½½0Does not appear2½26161

#### First place play-off

| Semifinal | Semifinal | Semifinal | Final | Final | Final |
| | | | 1 | Magnus Carlsen (Norway) | 1½ |
| 2 | Anish Giri (Netherlands) | 1 | 3 | Maxime Vachier-Lagrave (France) | ½ |
| 3 | Maxime Vachier-Lagrave (France) | 2 | | | |

## Standings

    Player Norway Sinquefield London Total points Prize money 1 Magnus Carlsen (Norway)4101226$215,000 2 Anish Giri (Netherlands)761023$155,000 3 Levon Aronian (Armenia)213722$145,000 4 Maxime Vachier-Lagrave (France)57820$90,000 5 Hikaru Nakamura (United States)88319$95,000 6 Veselin Topalov (Bulgaria)134118$105,000 T-7 Alexander Grischuk (Russia)35614$60,000 T-7 Viswanathan Anand (India)102214$80,000 9 Fabiano Caruana (United States)634.513.5$55,000  Michael Adams (England)——4.54.5$20,000  Jon Ludvig Hammer (Norway)1——1$15,000  Wesley So (United States)—1—1$15,000