Your Guide to the Rules of the World Chess Championship

Are you a casual chess fan that's wondering exactly how this whole World Chess Championship thing works? Here's a quick rundown of the rules for the 2014 World Chess Championship between Magnus Carlsen and Viswanathan Anand.

Match Format

The World Champion will be determined over the course of a 12-game match. Players will alternate colors each game, though the order of that alternation will switch midway through the match (so the player who has White for Game 6 will also have White for Game 7).


Whichever player wins more games will win the match. Once one player has clinched victory, the match will end: for instance, the 2013 World Championship ended when Magnus Carlsen had three wins to zero for Viswanathan Anand after 10 games.

The Games

Each game will be played under classical time controls. This means that each player will have two hours to make 40 moves, another hour for their next 20 moves, and another 15 minutes for the rest of the game. Starting with the 61^st move, each player will also receive an added 30 seconds on their clock after each move. Should a player run out of time, they will lose the game (or draw, if their opponent has no possible way to win the game given the remaining material).

What if There's a Tie?

Should the two players remain tied after 12 games, a series of tie-break games will be held. Players will first play four rapid games, with each player having 25 minutes to make their moves, plus a 10 second increment added after each move. Should the score be tied at 2-2 after those games, the players will play a two-game mini-match in blitz chess (five minutes plus a three second increment).

Up to five of these matches will be held; if a player has the lead at the end of any of these matches, they will win the championship.

Finally, in the very unlikely event that a winner still hasn't been determined, the players will compete in one final "Armageddon" game. In this game, the white player will get five minutes, while the black player will only get four. However, Black will only need to draw the game in order to be declared the winner, while White will have to score a win.

Schedule

The first game of the match will be held on November 8. One game will be held each day, with a rest day after every second game. There is also an added rest day after Game 11, as well as a rest day before any potential tiebreakers are played.

Prize Fund

The players are competing for a prize fund of $1.5 million. Approximately 60 percent of that total will go to the winner, while the loser will take around 40 percent of the purse.