ESL has announced that the Intel Grand Slam – one of Counter-Strike’s most prodigious rewards – will be returning for a third season, starting this week.
The Intel Grand Slam Season 3 brings forth the same prestige of its predecessors with an updated rulebook. In the spirit of maintaining the weight of its accomplishment, a refined protocol has been introduced.
To be awarded the Intel Grand Slam Season 3, a team must complete one of two prerequisites:
- Winning four Masters level CS:GO tournaments which must include at least one designated Masters-level tournament within a span of ten consecutive tournaments
- Winning six Masters level CS:GO tournaments inside a span of ten consecutive events
These rules differ from the initial ruleset, which stated the Intel Grand Slam could be won by purely winning four out of the ten Masters level tournaments. Designated Masters tournaments for the upcoming year will be ESL One: Cologne and IEM Katowice – two highly regarded events on the competitive Counter-Strike calendar. Additionally, it has been stated that any future CS:GO Major – a Valve sanctioned tournament – organised by ESL or DreamHack would be considered to carry the designated Masters status.
? The #IntelGrandSlam Season 3 kicks-off at #IEM Chicago with new conditions to win the coveted $1,000,000 prize!
Full details ? https://t.co/lo0PrLbAFp pic.twitter.com/rT5SY5ULbx
— ESL Counter-Strike (@ESLCS) July 16, 2019
Following Team Liquid’s swift capture of the previous Intel Grand Slam, it was unclear whether or not the initiative would come back for a third iteration. The first event that falls under the third season of Intel Grand Slam is IEM Chicago, which will get underway this weekend.
Esports Insider says: Overlooking the questionable diction used to identify tournaments, the refashioned qualifications of the Intel Grand Slam will further eminence of the already-distinguished reward. It’s evident that ESL and Intel weren’t expecting it to be won twice in quick succession and with such ease, though.
ESI London 2019 – Find out more
