The Winter Chess Classic 2023 continued its thrilling journey into day two. The atmosphere was cool and overcast, providing the perfect backdrop for intense chess battles among some of the finest minds in the game. A total of 12 exceptionally skilled players, including 11 Grandmasters and 1 International Master, are squaring off through Wednesday in the Sinquefield Commons at Saint Louis University.
Players will face each other in 6 classical games (worth 3 points each), 6 rapid games (2 points each) and 12 blitz games (1 point each). Notably for this event, all participants either currently attend or have graduated from a Missouri university. Each of these 12 chess prodigies calls Saint Louis or Columbia, Missouri, their home.
Team Standings
| Team Place | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Team A | 39 |
| 2 | Team B | 33 |
After Day 2, Team A maintains its lead with a score of 39, while Team B is close behind with 33 points. Unfortunately for the Billikens, it seems the home court advantage hasn’t held up. The B Team all call SLU home.
“It was a tough start.” said Var Akobian, board four and team captain. “But as I reminded my players, we’re still in this, and we have rapid and blitz coming up.”
| Board | White | Result | Black |
|---|---|---|---|
| Round 3 | |||
| 1 | Oparin, Grigory | ½-½ | Bok, Benjamin |
| 2 | Dambasuren, Batsuren | ½-½ | Gledura, Benjamin |
| 3 | Theodorou, Nikolas | ½-½ | Antipov, Mikhail |
| 4 | Bruzon, Lazaro | ½-½ | Swiercz, Dariusz |
| 5 | Raja, Harshit | 1-0 | Chandra, Akshat |
| 6 | Akobian, Var | ½-½ | Stearman, Josiah |
| Board | White | Result | Black |
|---|---|---|---|
| Round 4 | |||
| 1 | Akobian, Var | ½-½ | Oparin, Grigory |
| 2 | Chandra, Akshat | ½-½ | Gledura, Benjamin |
| 3 | Antipov, Mikhail | ½-½ | Swiercz, Dariusz |
| 4 | Bruzon, Lazaro | ½-½ | Theodorou, Nikolas |
| 5 | Bok, Benjamin | ½-½ | Raja, Harshit |
| 6 | Stearman, Josiah | 0-1 | Dambasuren, Batsuren |
With 30 points on the line over the next three days, players are certain to redouble their efforts over the board. The Winter Chess Classic promises to deliver more exciting moves and intense showdowns as the players continue their pursuit of victory. Stay tuned for further updates on this captivating chess spectacle at Saint Louis University!