CHESS#1233

Almost every strong player in world had a crack at the World Rapids and World Blitz championships

Almost every strong player in the world had a crack at the World Rapids and World Blitz championships. 

Both tournaments were played out as long Swiss systems. The rapids consisted of 15 rounds played over three days, at 15 minutes/ game and 10 second increment/move. The blitz was played as a 21 rounder, at 3 minutes with 2 seconds increment. 

Any Swiss has inherent "upset factors" due to variables like unknown pairings which makes specific preparation hard, and sheer luck of the draw. Short time controls also mean more errors.  A long Swiss irons out some randomness but also induces tiredness. By