World chess legends Garry Kasparov and Nigel Short will meet for the first Battle of the Legends exhibition match, to be held in Saint Louis, the Chess Capital of the United States.
On April 25-26, former World Chess Champion Garry Kasparov and famed English Grandmaster Nigel Short will play a series of blitz and rapid games at the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis (CCSCSL), rekindling the duo’s match at the 1993 World Chess Championship.
Kasparov is widely considered one of the greatest chess players of all-time, one of the youngest World Champions in history who held the world’s No. 1 spot from 1985 until his retirement in 2005.
Hailed a chess prodigy at the age of 10, Short was one of the youngest grandmasters in the world, earning the title at age 19 in 1984, and later became the first Englishman to compete for the World Chess Championship in 1993.
“Rapid and blitz chess are – as the name suggests, fast and furious. The smallest mistake can ruin a strategy quickly,” Kasparov said. “It’s not often that I get to play Nigel and relive that moment on the chess world stage in 1993, and we’re both excited to have Saint Louis as the venue for this exhibition. An international spotlight has been shown on the city thanks to the efforts of the Chess Club and Scholastic Center, advancing chess through its combination of research, scholastic programs and these high-profile events and exhibitions.”
April’s match at the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis will feature 10 total games spanning over two days of play, each featuring one game with a rapid time control, and four games with the faster blitz time control. The entire event will be broadcast live on www.uschesschamps.com, featuring live commentary and analysis from a world-renowned commentary team.
“We’re honored to host two of the chess greats for this exhibition match,” said Tony Rich, Executive Director of the CCSCSL. “Our work at the club is focused on raising awareness of chess and we can’t think of a more distinguished match-up to do just that than Garry Kasparov and Nigel Short.”
Format: 2 rapid and 8 blitz games
Time Control: Rapid – 25 minutes, with a 10-second delay; Blitz – 5 minutes, with a 3-second delay.
| Date | Time | Event |
|---|---|---|
| April 24 | 2:45 PM | Opening Ceremony & Chess Tour 2015 Press Conference |
| 4:00 PM | Simultaneous Exhibition by Garry & Nigel | |
| April 25 | 2:00 PM | Rapid Round 1, Blitz Rounds 1-4 |
| April 26 | 2:00 PM | Rapid Round 2, Blitz Rounds 5-8 |
| 5:00 PM | Autograph Session with Garry & Nigel |