by IM Kostya Kavutskiy
Former World Champion Garry Kasparov stormed in to grab the lead on the first day of the 2023 Champions Showdown: Chess9LX, as he scored two wins against So and Robson along with a draw against Nakamura to end the day in clear first place with 2.5/3. Tied for second going into Day 2 were Levon Aronian and Sam Sevian, both half a point behind with 2.0/3.
13th World Chess Champion Garry Kasparov | Photo courtesy of Saint Louis Chess Club, Lennart Ootes
Check out the full replay of live coverage from the day here. The event features Chess 960 (aka Fischer Random), a chess variant where the starting position of the pieces is randomized along the first rank. The tournament format is a 10-player round-robin, with a time control of 20 minutes per side plus a 5-second increment added every move.
Standings after Day 1
ROUND 1
The day kicked off with three decisive games, as Kasparov stunned Wesley So in the first round with Black, after launching a vicious counter-attack against So’s king. Meanwhile Shankland defeated Caruana, while Sevian managed to trick Aronian deep into a knight vs. bishop endgame.
So – Kasparov: 22…Qd3! was a killer shot, threatening Bf5 next.
“I decided that I have to trust my hand.” – Kasparov | Photo courtesy of Saint Louis Chess Club, Lennart Ootes
ROUND 2
In the second round Caruana, Aronian, and So all bounced back with victories, while Kasparov drew with Nakamura after holding a difficult endgame.
Aronian – Robson: 10.Be4! was a crusher, as 10…Nxe4 runs into 11.Qxg7#
Three draws for Nakamura, who ends Day 1 with 1.5/3. | Photo courtesy of Saint Louis Chess Club, Lennart Ootes
ROUND 3
In the third and final round of the day Kasparov pounced on Robson, generating a powerful initiative in the endgame as Kasparov’s pieces flooded in.
Robson – Kasparov: 35…Rxf3! finished things off, in view of Nf2+ next.
Aronian also won his second game, after getting an extra pawn against Shankland and smoothly converting a rook and bishop endgame.
After dropping the first game Aronian scored two back-to-back wins. | Photo courtesy of Saint Louis Chess Club, Lennart Ootes
Pairings for Round 4
ULTIMATE MOVES
The event launched yesterday with Ultimate Moves, an exhibition event featuring the players competing as teams alongside two amateur captains. Team Alex, lead by Alex Kerford (Edward Jones) defeated Team Rex by a score of 3-1, winning the competition.
Alex Kerford (Edward Jones) faces off against Rex Sinquefield. | Photo courtesy of Saint Louis Chess Club, Lennart Ootes
The Saint Louis Chess Club also celebrated co-founder Rex Sinquefield’s 79th birthday at the opening ceremony of the 2023 Champions Showdown:
Happy Birthday Rex! | Photo courtesy of Saint Louis Chess Club, Lennart Ootes
The 2023 Champions Showdown: Chess9LX continues tomorrow, September 9th, with coverage starting at 1:50 PM CDT. Catch all the action live with Grandmaster Yasser Seirawan, Grandmaster Cristian Chirila, and International Master Nazi Paikidze on uschesschamps.com and on the Saint Louis Chess Club’s YouTube and Twitch.tv channels.