News Release

 

Friday 4th December 2009

 

LONDON CHESS CLASSIC

 

The strongest chess tournament in the UK for twenty-five years gets underway at Olympia on 8 December 2009. The opening press conference is being held on Monday 7 December 2009 at 13:30 hrs at Olympia where some of the greatest stars of world chess will be lining up to meet the press and also draw lots for pairings.

 

At their head is former world chess champion Vladimir Kramnik, who has very fond memories of chess in London. It was here in 2000 that he won his title in a sensational match with Garry Kasparov, widely considered the world’s best ever player. Before the match, pundits gave Kramnik little chance but he beat the reigning champion without losing a single game and became the only human ever to beat Kasparov in a match. Kramnik arrives in London on the back of a great victory at the Mikhail Tal Memorial tournament in Moscow, where he showed the sort of form that took him to the title in 2000. At 34, Kramnik is in his chess prime.

 

Magnus Carlsen, who celebrated his 19th birthday only five days ago, also has a Kasparov connection. The great Russian recognise a talent that matched his own as a teenager and became the young Norwegian’s coach early in 2009. This dream pairing bore fruit in September when Carlsen dominated the ‘Pearl Spring’ tournament in China, finishing way ahead of world rated number one Veselin Topalov of Bulgaria. Carlsen finished second to Kramnik in Moscow but there was twofold consolation: he did well enough to displace Topalov from the top of the world rating list, and then won the World Blitz Championship ahead of a stellar field.

 

Making up the ‘awesome foursome’ from overseas are Ni Hua and Hikaru Nakamura. Between them, these two young grandmasters have won five national championships of their respective super-power countries. Ni Hua, 26, is the only player ever to have won three Chinese national championships. UK chess fans are already very familiar with him as he was part of the superb Chinese national squad which travelled to Liverpool in 2007 and beat the United Kingdom team. Hikaru Nakamura, who will turn 22 during the London Classic, has already won two US Championships. Hikaru is a specialist in fast chess – the faster the game, the more points Hikaru scores! Just two weeks before the tournament, he played a short ‘rapidplay’ match with world number one Magnus Carlsen – and won. You can bet Magnus will be thirsting for revenge in London.

 

The best chess talent in the world will be up against England’s four leading grandmasters. Nigel Short is a household name. He put British chess on the map in 1992/93 when he defeated the legendary ex-world champion Anatoly Karpov in a match, and then the Dutch grandmaster Jan Timman, to qualify for a world title match with Garry Kasparov, held at London’s Savoy Hotel. At 44, he is almost a veteran by chess standards but he has struck a rich vein of form in recent months to regain his position as England’s number one. Also in the field is his displaced rival, Michael Adams, 38, who is probably the most consistently successful British player of all time in terms of rankings and ratings. He reached number four in the world chess rankings in the early 2000s and stayed at that level for a number of years. Amongst his victims in world knock-out championships in the 1990s was soon-to-be world champion Vladimir Kramnik. Luke McShane, 25, is the third highest rated English grandmaster. His prodigious natural talent for the game has enabled him to maintain an astonishingly high standard of play whilst studying for an Oxford degree and now holding down a high-flying job in the City. He is one of the best non-professional chess players in the world. David Howell, who turned 19 two weeks before Magnus Carlsen, broke Michael Adams’ age record for becoming a grandmaster when he did so aged 16. He is the reigning British Chess Champion – in fact, double British Champion as he holds the title jointly at rapidplay chess too. David is passionate about his chess and highly ambitious – there is no telling what heights he may reach. He will relish the opportunity to cross swords with young rivals such as Carlsen and Nakamura.

 

For more information and to buy tickets to The London Chess Classic, please go to www.londonchessclassic.com 

 

For further information please call:

John Saunders Chess Press Chief,

London Chess Classic

M: 07777 664111

E : chesspress@londonchessclassic.com

 

 

7th Nov 2009 - Guest of Honour Viktor Korchnoi Simultaneous, Sunday 13th and Monday 14th December, 7:00pm

 

 

13th Oct 2009 - Side events in London

 

The London Chess Classic will have several side events running alongside the main event at Olympia from December 8th to 15th. As well as the GM all play all with Magnus Carlsen, Vladimir Kramnik, Hikaru Nakamura plus the top four English GMs, there will be a FIDE rated open tournament, a weekend tournament on December 12th and 13th and a one day Rapid Chess event on December 13th.

 

Six Grandmasters and 2 International Masters have already declared for the Open which has an £8000 prize fund. To enter any of the tournaments or to buy tickets for auditorium and commentary room visit www.londonchessclassic.com.

 

 

27th Sept 2009 - Festival and side events now announced, enter here or see full details here

 

A week long chess festival including a FIDE Rated Open with a guaranteed £8000 prize fund will run alongside the London Chess Classic 2009 which takes place at the Olympia Conference Centre from December 8-15 2009. The tournament has been scheduled to allow players to watch the opening moves of the Classic before their games in the Open begin. A minimum of six Grandmasters will be invited to the Open Classic and title norm opportunities will be available.

 

There will also be a weekend tournament, a one day Rapidplay and every evening, Blitz in the foyer. Anyone entering the Open, Rapidplay or Weekend Classic will receive free entry to the auditorium to watch the main event and they will also be able to access the Grandmaster Commentary Room. In addition the games will be relayed on screens throughout the Olympia Conference Centre.

 

Details on how to enter and the tournament regulations are at www.londonchessclassic.com. I am delighted to announce that there will be no entry fees to any Classic tournament for children under the age of 16. For those who would rather just watch, tickets are now on sale and again, admission for children under 16 will be free throughout the event.

 

Adult tickets are just £10 per day or just £50 for all seven rounds. Adult and junior ticket holders receive admission to the tournament plus a guaranteed seat in the auditorium and access to the Commentary Room where some of the UK's leading Grandmasters will give insights into the play and answer questions. Tickets can be purchased from the London Chess Centre on 0207 388 2404 or online at www.londonchessclassic.com.

 

The London Chess Classic is the strongest all play all tournament to be held in Britain for 25 years with four of the world's finest players and England's leading quartet of Grandmasters. Heading the field is the fourteenth world champion Vladimir Kramnik and 18 year old Norwegian Magnus Carlsen already hailed as a future champion by Garry Kasparov who has recently agreed to train the chess genius.

 

Malcolm Pein (IM), London Chess Centre

 

 

13th Sept 2009 - Chess is Free for Children at the London Chess Classic 2009

The London Chess Classic 2009 will offer free admission to children for the duration of the event which runs from December 8th to 15th.

 

Adult tickets are just £10 per day or just £50 for all seven rounds. Adult and junior ticket holders receive admission to the tournament, which is being staged at London's prestigious Olympia Conference Centre, plus a guaranteed seat in the auditorium and access to the Commentary Room where some of the UK's leading Grandmasters will give insights into the play and answer questions.

 

The London Chess Classic is the strongest all play all tournament to be held in Britain for 25 years with four of the world's finest players and England's leading quartet of Grandmasters. Heading the field is the fourteenth world champion Vladimir Kramnik and 18 year old Norwegian Magnus Carlsen already hailed as a future champion by Garry Kasparov who has recently agreed to train the chess genius.

 

Tickets are now on sale or call the London Chess Centre on 0207 388 2404.