Norway million Dollar Grand Tour Sponsor Altibox Leaves Grand tour London, England … THEY ARE GONE … faced with elitism, UNKNOWN TO TENNIS, GOLF, SOCCER … (just 10 great players and no women), horrific long, impossible to broadcast worldwide time controls … ALTIBOX OF NORWAY has suddenly pulled totally out of the three nation million dollar chess “grand tour” … it became obvious that a huge just signed Norwegian guaranteed world tv contract (2016-2020 ) for ALL world chess champion Magnus Carlsen world chess title broadcasts WITH HUNDREDS OF WORLD CUP QUALIFIERS ALSO COMPETING FROM 16O NATIONS … would starkly CONTRAST THE TOUR … never permitting audiences to participate or view local divisional competition by Grand Tour home town hero qualifiers. Again, all chess is local … Chess immortal V. KRAMNIK … still a world top 5 grandmaster who defeated fierce rival former world champion Kasparov (a key organizer of the tour) and who was also cheated of a world title game match point by the censored worldwide Grand Tour player Topalov … did not participate in last years event … It may be that Altibox/Norway feels they must now let everybody play chess ala the Millionaire Chess International (Las Vegas) and the just completed Qatar 134 player international  … like poker … THE WORLD SERIES OF CHESS may be coming. ESPECIALLY DAMAGING TO THE 2016 “GRAND TOUR” WAS ABSENCE OF ANY ROLE FOR MOST CHINESE OLYMPIAD WORLD TEAM CHAMPION PLAYERS … AND FRENCH GRANDMASTER “MVL” IS REPORTED OUT THIS YEAR … Ratings will apparently no longer do the job. AT THE TOP… one can simply sit and not play at all with no rival qualifiers likely.

— Jude Acers