2018 Summer Chess Classic

The 2018 Summer Chess Classic is the second of four tournaments each year featuring international chess professionals. The Summer Chess Classic is comprised of two 10-player Round Robin tournaments. Over the course of 10 days, these competitors will battle for more than $30,000 in prize money and gain valuable experience in top-level events.

The Quarterly Strong Tournaments here at the Saint Louis Chess Club were created so strong international masters and newly minted grandmasters could participate in strong round robin tournaments in which to test their mettle against players of similar levels and to learn from these experiences. These tournaments are very rare. Generally, organizers are more interested in hosting elite events with big names such as Fabiano Caruana, Wesley So or Magnus Carlsen. Opportunities in the U.S. are rare for grandmasters at the 2600 level.

At A Glance
Dates May 15-23, 2018
Location Saint Louis Chess Club 
Format Two 10-Player Round Robins
Prize Fund $36,000
Commentary Rounds 1-8 broadcast begins at 3:30 p.m.
Round 9 broadcast begins at 1:30 p.m.
Group A Champion Vasif Durabayli
Group B Champion Kamil Dragun

 

Day Time* Groups A & B

Tuesday 
15-May

12:00 PM

Player Meeting

1:00 PM

Round 1

Wednesday
16-May

1:00 PM

Round 2

Thursday
17-May

1:00 PM

Round 3

Friday
18-May

1:00 PM

Round 4

Saturday
19-May

1:00 PM

Round 5

Sunday
20-May

1:00 PM

Round 6

Monday
21-May

1:00 PM

Round 7

Tuesday
22-May

1:00 PM

Round 8

Wednesday
23-May

11:00 AM

Round 9

5:00 PM Playoff**

6:30 PM

Closing Diner

* All times listed are CDT (GMT-6).

** There shall be a playoff for any tie involving 1st place. All other tied places will divide prize money evenly. Playoff games will start no earlier than 30 minutes after the final game of Round 9.


The 2018 Summer Chess Classic features a combined prize fund of more than $30,000!

Summer Classic A Prize Fund
Place Prize Place Prize
1st $6,000 6th $1,500
2nd $4,000 7th $1,000
3rd $3,000 8th $1,000
4th $2,000 9th $1,000
5th $1,500 10th $1,000
Total Prize Fund $22,000
Summer Classic B Prize Fund
Place Prize Place Prize
1st $4,000 6th $800
2nd $2,500 7th $600
3rd $2,000 8th $600
4th $1,500 9th $500
5th $1,000 10th $500
Total Prize Fund $14,000