As part of its four-stop expansion, the Grand Chess Tour kicked off its 2019 season with the Cote d’Ivoire Rapid & Blitz. Fans young and old enjoyed watching seven of the full tour participants and three wildcards compete against each other in 9 rounds of rapid chess and 18 rounds of blitz chess for a total prize fund of $150,000. The Cote d’Ivoire Rapid & Blitz was not only the first stop on the 2019 tour, it was also the first tournament on the African continent to ever feature the participation of the reigning World Chess Champion, Magnus Carlsen.

Ultimately, the World Champion Magnus Carlsen emerged victorious from five days of rapid and blitz play in Cote d’Ivoire, winning the inaugural 2019 tournament.