2019 Champions Showdown Recap – Day 1
by Tatev Abrahamyan Day one of the 2019 edition of the Champions Showdown kicked off with fireworks and excitement. What’s unique about this particular event is the number of fresh faces who made their debut in Saint Louis, who otherwise don’t get many opportunities to share the stage with the very best in the world. […]
Russian Grandmaster Valentina Gunina Crowned First Cairns Cup Champion
For more information, contact: Kiley Herndon Phone: (314) 309-0799 [email protected] Russian Grandmaster Valentina Gunina Crowned First Cairns Cup Champion Inaugural Tournament Sparks Inspiration for Women’s Chess Around the World SAINT LOUIS, February 19, 2019 – Russian Chess Grandmaster Valentina Gunina was named champion on Friday of the inaugural Cairns Cup, an elite tournament for the […]
2019 Cairns Cup – Round 9
Almost all the rounds of this event had a lot of excitement, so it wasn’t a surprise that the last one didn’t disappoint. In the battle for first place, GM Gunina had an advantage most of the game against GM Kosteniuk, but Alexandra fought back and even had winning chances at some point before the […]
2019 Cairns Cup – Round 8
Round eight had plenty of fighting chess, but only one player was able to secure a victory. French GM Marie Sebag scored her first win of the tournament against GM Irina Krush. IM Zhansaya Abdumalik came close to knocking off the tournament leader but stumbled just before making time control. GM Alexandra Kosteniuk, on the […]
Champions Showdown Features Ten Kings of Chess
For more information, please contact: Kiley Herndon [email protected] 314-309-0799 For Immediate Release Champions Showdown Features Ten Kings of Chess Saint Louis Chess Club to host international exhibition tournament February 20-24, 2019 ST. LOUIS, February 14, 2019 – The 2019 installment of the Champions Showdown will feature five unique matchups between top world players, as […]
2019 Cairns Cup – Round 7
by GM Josh Friedel The 7th round saw two decisive results, but they were crucial ones. Gunina won a 4th game in a row and moved into clear first place, while Kosteniuk drew the worse side of a french and fell back to 2nd. The 3rd place player, GM Irina Krush, lost in convincing fashion […]
2019 Cairns Cup – Round 6
by GM Josh Friedel Today’s round was a truly insane. Krush and Kosteniuk drew an unclear game where both had chances, and the games Gunina-Paehtz, Dronavalli-Abdumalik, and Dzagnidze-Zatonskih all had many changes in evaluation throughout the game. Watching it live was a real edge-of-your-seat experience! Here are the results and a breakdown of today’s action. […]
2019 Cairns Cup – Round 5
by GM Josh Friedel The 5th round certainly didn’t lack excitement, and the three leaders continued to show their fine form by extending their respective leads. Valentina Gunina won a spectacular game, Irina Krush won an efficient one, and Kosteniuk won after an absolutely crazy battle. Anna Zatonskih recovered from a terrible pawn blunder, leaving […]
2019 Cairns Cup – Round 4
Similar to the opening round, round four saw four decisive results, with most of the victories coming with Black. Kosteniuk extended her lead by defeating GM Marie Sebag, but Gunina and Krush also won, so her lead is only by half a point. It was a dramatic day, with lots of pressure and more blunders […]
2019 Cairns Cup – Round 3
The third round had both of the extremes: Two games ended peacefully in short order, while the other three were quite complex. Former Women’s World Champion Alexandra Kosteniuk showed her class with a nice victory over young IM Zhansaya Abdumalik, pulling ahead of her rivals with a score of 2.5/3. IM Anna Zatonskih and GM […]