2016 Champions Showdown
For more information, please contact:
Kiley Herndon
Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis
(314) 283-7068
kherndon@saintlouischessclub.org
For Immediate Release
Champions Showdown Fit for Kings
Four of the world’s top players set to compete in Saint Louis
SAINT LOUIS (October 31, 2016) – This November, in true holiday spirit, the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis will host a showdown between four of the top rated players in the world. Over five days in the ultimate champions matchup, No. 3 rated Fabiano Caruana, No. 7 rated Hikaru Nakamura, and two former world champions, No. 8 Viswanathan Anand of India and No. 13 Veselin Topalov of Bulgaria, will compete in three different styles of chess.
“This not only brings four of the world’s top players back to Saint Louis,” said Tony Rich, Executive Director of the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis, “but also provides an opportunity for fans to enjoy different styles of play across the increasingly fast time controls.”
The tournament format is as intense as the players, featuring classical, rapid, and blitz games. Players will be competing for $150,000 in prize money and the chance to gain yet another title.
Fabiano Caruana is the No. 3 ranked player in the world and became a grandmaster at 14 years old. In October 2014 he achieved a rating of 2844, becoming the third highest-rated player in history. Caruana miraculously won the 2015 Sinquefield Cup with seven straight wins against the world’s top players. Together with GM Hikaru Nakamura, the two lead the U.S. Olympiad team won to top honors at the 2016 Chess Olympiad, earning the gold medal for the first time in 40 years.
Nakamura is a four-time U.S. Chess Champion. In May 2014, when FIDE began publishing its official rapid and blitz chess ratings, Nakamura was ranked number one in the world on both lists.
GM Viswanathan Anand, a former World Chess Champion, became India’s first grandmaster in 1988 and is still the No. 1 rated player in the country. He held the FIDE World Chess Champion title from 2000 to 2002 and became the undisputed World Chess Champion in 2007. He defended his title against Vladimir Kramnik in 2008, Veselin Topalov in 2010 and Boris Gelfand in 2012 before finally losing the title to Magnus Carlsen in their match in 2013.
GM Veselin Topalov, the Bulgarian No. 1, became the FIDE World Champion by winning the FIDE World Championship in 2005. He lost his title in 2006 against Vladimir Kramnik and was also narrowly defeated by Vishy Anand in their match for the Championship in 2010.
Each game of the exhibition will be broadcast live at 1 p.m. CT on uschesschamps.com. Join us Thursday, November 10 through Monday, November 14 to watch the showdown play out live.
For more information, visit http://www.uschesschamps.com/information/2016-champions-showdown.
About The Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis
The Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis is a non-profit, 501(c)(3) organization that is committed to making chess an important part of our community. In addition to providing a forum for the community to play tournaments and casual games, the club also offers chess improvement classes, beginner lessons and special lectures.
Recognizing the cognitive and behavioral benefits of chess, the Chess Club and Scholastic Center is committed to supporting those chess programs that already exist in area schools while encouraging the development of new in-school and after-school programs. For more information, visit www.saintlouischessclub.org.