Viswanathan Anand and Garry Kasparov will reignite their historic rivalry this October in a special 12-game Chess960 showdown titled ‘Clutch Chess’. Set to take place at the newly revamped St. Louis Chess Club campus, the event marks a major highlight in the club’s grand reopening celebrations.
Alongside their duel, a high-stakes rapid tournament is also scheduled, featuring top-tier names like Magnus Carlsen, Hikaru Nakamura, Fabiano Caruana, and rising star D Gukesh.
The Anand-Kasparov faceoff is scheduled from October 7 to 11, boasting a prize pool of $144,000 and including games in both rapid and blitz formats.
Sharing his thoughts ahead of the event, Kasparov remarked, “Saint Louis has become the beating heart of global chess. The vision, the commitment, and the passion for the game here are unmatched anywhere in the world. It’s an honor to return and play in a city that has redefined what it means to support and grow the chess community.”
As for the rapid event, organizers confirmed it will follow an 18-game double round-robin format with a 10-minute base time and a 5-second increment. With a total prize purse of $412,000 and rising point values each day—1 point for wins on Day 1, 2 on Day 2, and 3 on Day 3—the format is designed to keep the competition fierce and unpredictable right to the finish line.
