ESL and Intel will hold the Intel Extreme Masters (IEM) in Beijing on November 9-10. On its official website, IEM mentioned that the 2019 IEM Beijing will be the 12th tournament of IEM. The tournament will be held at the Gymnasium of Capital University of Physical Education and Sports, Beijing University Students located in Haidian district, Beijing.
“After holding IEMs in China for years, we see the Chinese esports community growing into one of the most dedicated communities in the world,” ESL’s Vice President of Pro Gaming Michal Blicharz was quoted as saying by Esports Insider.
He claimed to be proud to hold the Beijing IEM together with the 10th anniversary of the IEM. “To celebrate this achievement, we are proud to hold an esports tournament and not just perform at exhibitions, and we are proud to be able to bring this tournament to the most enthusiastic community of esports fans. This tournament is only the beginning of many other major esports events in Asia and in particular, China. ”
In the 2019 IEM Beijing, there will be 8 teams competing, fighting for a total prize of US $ 250 thousand. The first winner will get half of the total prize while the second position gets US $ 50 thousand and two semifinalists will get US $ 25 thousand.
Of the eight teams that competed, as many as five teams will be directly selected. While the remaining three slots will be obtained by the team that won the qualifying round in China, Asia and Europe. The eight teams will then compete with the double elimination system. The remaining four teams will compete using the best-of-threes system. While in the final round held on November 10, two finalists will compete using the best-of-fives system.
So far, there have been two teams that are certain to be included in the 2019 IEM Beijing, namely Astralis and Team Liquid. Both teams were chosen because they won the Intel Grand Slam in the previous two seasons. Intel Grand Slam offers a prize of US $ 1 million for players from a team that can win four tournaments in 10 consecutive tournaments.
It took Astralis 323 days to win the first Intel Grand Slam while Team Liquid won the second season in just 63 days. The winner of the 2019 IEM Beijing will get one point in the Intel Grand Slam third season. Currently, Team Liquid has earned one point for winning the Chicago IEM in the middle
“Gaming plays an important role in the integration of culture and technology. Not only that, the influence of games on Chinese culture also continues to grow, “said the Publicity Minister of Haidian District Standing Committee. “Haidian is proof of China’s innovation and growth. Haidian is one of the best districts to develop the esports industry and to hold esports events because in this district, there are many students and young entrepreneurs, and the region has a large business market and a strong industrial foundation. With the help of IEM, I believe, the esports industry in Haidian will rise to the next level.”
