London Chess Classic – Scheveningen

England vs. Rest of the World

Schedule: Friday 3rd December to Thursday 9th December (6 rounds) (4pm – 10pm)
Date Round Commentary with:
Friday 3rd December Round 1 GM Nigel Short and GM Stuart Conquest
Saturday 4th December Round 2 GM Nigel Short and GM Stuart Conquest | GM Matthew Sadler and WIM Natasha Regan
Sunday 5th December Round 3 GM Nigel Short and GM Stuart Conquest
Monday 6th December Rest Day
Tuesday 7th December Round 4 Unfortunately, there are no tickets available for this day, but a live relay of the games will appear on the website.
Wednesday 8th December Round 5 GM Nigel Short and GM Stuart Conquest
Thursday 9th December Round 6 GM Nigel Short and GM Stuart Conquest
Format

The 2021 Classic showcase event is an international Scheveningen match between England and an elite Rest of the World team. The home team will feature three of England’s top Grandmasters. The match will be played over three boards with each player on one team playing each player on the other team twice. Live Grandmaster commentary on the games will be provided by GM Nigel Short and GM Stuart Conquest

Time Control

100 mins for 40 moves + 30 mins for rest of game + 30 sec increment from move 1

ENGLAND

GM Michael Adams (FIDE Rating 2714)

Michael Adams

A World Championship Finalist in 2004, former World No. 4 and seven-time British champion, Michael ‘Mickey’ Adams has been the prominent British player of the last two decades, with the highest-ever rating (2761) recorded by a British player. Born in 1971 in Truro, Cornwall, Mickey has played several times in the World Candidates tournament, is England’s regular Board 1, and has worked as a second to World Champion Magnus Carlsen. He lives in Somerset with his wife, the actress Tara MacGowran.

GM Luke McShane (FIDE Rating 2667)

Luke McShane

A member of the England team, Luke has been described as the world’s strongest amateur player. A former prodigy born 1984, Luke was the World Under 10 Champion at the age of eight. He played for England’s Silver Medal winning team at the 2019 World Team Championship in Kazakhstan, and was awarded the Gold Medal for Board 2. Luke has successfully combined playing in elite Grandmaster tournaments with a career as a trader in the City of London, and is currently the chess columnist for ‘The Spectator’.

GM Gawain Jones (FIDE Rating 2654)

Gawain Jones

A two-time British champion, Gawain is the current European Blitz Champion, and is a regular member of the England team. He was awarded a Silver Medal for his performance on Board 4 for England in the 2019 World Team Championships in Kazakhstan. Born in 1987 in Keighley, West Yorkshire, Gawain learned to play chess at the age of 4, and was the youngest player to beat an International Master. He has lived in Italy, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. He and his wife, Women’s International Master Sue Maroroa, and their daughter currently live in Sheffield, South Yorkshire.

REST OF THE WORLD

GM Boris Gelfand (FIDE Rating 2674)

Boris Gelfand

Boris is renowned as the 2012 World Championship Challenger who tied his match in Moscow with Vishy Anand 6-6, before Anand won on rapidplay tiebreak. Born in Belarus, Boris now represents Israel and is a six-time World Championship Candidate. A top-30 player in total for 27 years, he is the acclaimed author of a series of high-level chess tuiton books aimed at advanced players.

GM Nikita Vitiugov (FIDE Rating 2734)

Nikita Vitiugov

Nikita is the 2021 Russian Champion, and was a member of the Gold Medal-winning Russian teams in the World Team Championships in 2009 and 2013. He won the 2013 Gilbraltar Masters after a rapid playoff with England’s Nigel Short. Born in Leningrad in 1987, Nikita helped his native St. Petersburg team win the 2011 European Club Cup, winning the Gold Medal on 2nd Board.

GM Maxime Lagarde (FIDE Rating 2647)

Anonymous

Maxime is the 2019 French Champion, and in 2020 won the Trieste Chess Festival. Born in 1994, he achieved the Grandmaster title in 2013. He is currently France’s sixth highest-rated player.

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