Thedatesforthe5theditionoftheChessGrandSlamMastersFinalhavealreadybeendecided.Thetournament,consideredoneoftheworld’smostprestigious,willtakeplacefromSeptember24toOctober13,2012and,asinpreviouseditions,theworld’stop-rankedplayerswillparticipate.
Justasinpreviousyears,Bilbaowillonceagainhostthe5theditionoftheChessMastersFinal,andsimultaneousnegotiationsarebeingheldwithfiveoftheworld’smaincapitalstosharethehostingofthe2012tournament.Thisiswhathappenedinthelasttwoeditions.In2010BilbaowasjointhostalongwithShanghaiandinthelasteditionwhichtookplacethisyear,itwastheBraziliancityofSaoPaulothathostedtheeventalongwiththeBiscayancapital.
Regardlessoftheoutcome,thetournamentwillcontinuetobeplayedbythedoubleround-robinleaguesystemamongsixofthemostprominentworldchessmasterschosenfromamongthewinnersoftheworld’sforemostchesstournaments.
Two playershavealreadyqualified—Norway’sMagnusCarlsenandRussianVladimirKramnik(theformerbeingnumber1intheworldrankingandwinnerofthelasteditionoftheGrandSlamFinalandthelatter,formerworldchampionandwinnerofthe2010Final).BothhavereceiveddirectinvitationstoBilbao,theNorwegianforhisvictoryintheTaltournamentinMoscowandtheRussianforhiswinattheLondonClassicthisveryDecember.
TherestoftheparticipantsofthisgreatchesseventintheBiscayancapital,alsoreceivingdirectinvitations,willcomeoutofthewinnersofthe2012TatatournamentinWijkaanZee,Holland,the2012KingstournamentinBazna,RomaniaandtheCityofLinaresinSpain(onceitisconcludedbeforeAugust24).
Ifthesameplayerwinsmorethanonetournament,thehighest-rankedsecondplacefinisherfromoneofthesetournamentsaccordingtotheJuly2012listwillbeawardedaspot.Ifallthesecond-placefinishershavealreadyearnedspotsinthe2012MastersFinalbyothermeans,theOrganizingCommitteewilldecidewhogetsthespotbydirectinvitation.
ThewinneroftheWorldChampionship match,whichwillbeplayedbetweenAnandandGuelfandnextmayinMoscow,willalsoreceiveadirectinvitationforthe2012MastersFinal.
Fromthismostrigorousqualifyingandselectionsystemwillthereforeemergethesixcontendersforthe5theditionoftheChessGrandSlammastersFinal,whosegoal,accordingtoitsOrganizingCommittee,istocontinuetomaintainexcellenceintermsofthequalityoforganizationaswellasthehighlevelofsportingcompetitivenessofpreviouseditions.
