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2018 Winter Chess Classic

This event has already taken place. All information below is for reference only.

Event Details

Nov 5, 2018 - Nov 13, 2018

The 2018 Winter Chess Classic is the fourth of four tournaments each year featuring international chess professionals. The Winter Chess Classic is comprised of two 10-player Round Robin tournaments. Over the course of 10 days, these competitors will battle for more than $30,000 in prize money and gain valuable experience in top-level events.

The Quarterly Strong Tournaments here at the Saint Louis Chess Club were created so strong international masters and newly minted grandmasters could participate in strong round robin tournaments in which to test their mettle against players of similar levels and to learn from these experiences. These tournaments are very rare. Generally, organizers are more interested in hosting elite events with big names such as Fabiano Caruana, Wesley So or Magnus Carlsen. Opportunities in the U.S. are rare grandmasters at the 2600 level.

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Tournament Crosstable

Wins / Draws / Losses

Standard Scoring

1 Win

½ Draw

0 Loss

Rank	Name	Fed.	Rating	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	Score
1	GM Quesada Perez, Yuniesky	CUB	2622	x	½	1	1	½	1	1	½	1	½	7.0
2	GM Sasikiran, Krishnan	IND	2672	½	x	½	½	0	1	½	1	½	½	5.0
3	GM Melkumyan, Hrant	ARM	2660	0	½	x	0	1	½	½	1	½	1	5.0
4	GM Xiong, Jeffery	USA	2656	0	½	1	x	½	½	½	1	½	½	5.0
5	GM Sevian, Samuel	USA	2634	½	1	0	½	x	½	½	½	½	1	5.0
6	GM Swiercz, Dariusz	POL	2656	0	0	½	½	½	x	1	½	1	½	4.5
7	GM Robson, Ray	USA	2682	0	½	½	½	½	0	x	½	1	½	4.0
8	GM Shimanov, Aleksandr	RUS	2626	½	0	0	0	½	½	½	x	1	½	3.5
9	GM Motylev, Alexander	RUS	2661	0	½	½	½	½	0	0	0	x	1	3.0
10	GM Miroshnichenko, Evgenij	UKR	2606	½	½	0	½	0	½	½	½	0	x	3.0

Rank	Name	Fed.	Rating	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	Score
1	GM Andriasian, Zaven	ARM	2603	x	½	½	1	½	1	½	½	½	½	5.5
2	GM Mikhalevski, Victor	ISR	2565	½	x	0	½	1	½	1	½	½	1	5.5
3	GM Hakobyan, Aram	ARM	2565	½	1	x	½	0	1	½	1	½	0	5.0
4	IM Theodorou, Nikolas	GRE	2535	0	½	½	x	1	½	½	0	1	½	4.5
5	GM Van Foreest, Lucas	NED	2499	½	0	1	0	x	1	½	0	1	½	4.5
6	IM Kevlishvili, Robby	NED	2461	0	½	0	½	0	x	1	½	1	1	4.5
7	GM Ali Marandi, Cemil Can	TUR	2549	½	0	½	½	½	0	x	1	0	+	4.0
8	GM Benjamin, Joel	USA	2526	½	½	0	1	1	½	0	x	½	0	4.0
9	GM Perelshteyn, Eugene	USA	2493	½	½	½	0	0	0	1	½	x	1	4.0
10	GM Gareyev, Timur	USA	2584	½	0	1	½	½	0	-	1	0	x	3.5

The Players

Additional Info

Yuniesky Quesada

Invitational Rating: 2622

Jeffery Xiong

Invitational Rating: 2656

Dariusz Swiercz

Invitational Rating: 2667

Hrant Melkumyan

Invitational Rating: 2660

Evgeny Miroshnichenko

Invitational Rating: 2606

Ray Robson

Invitational Rating: 2682

Krishnan Sasikiran

Invitational Rating: 2672

Alexander Motylev

Invitational Rating: 2661

Aleksandr Shimanov

Invitational Rating: 2626

Sam Sevian

Invitational Rating: 2634

Eugene Perelshteyn

Invitational Rating: 2493

Zaven Andriasian

Invitational Rating: 2603

Aram Hakobyan

Invitational Rating: 2559

Cemil Can Ali Marandi

Invitational Rating: 2549

Timur Gareev

Invitational Rating: 2584

Nikolas Theodorou

Invitational Rating: 2535

Joel Benjamin

Invitational Rating: 2526

Lucas van Foreest

Invitational Rating: 2499

Robby Kevlishvili

Invitational Rating: 2461

Victor Mikhalevski

Invitational Rating: 2565

Schedule

Day	Time	Groups A & B
Monday 5-November	12:00 PM	Player Meeting
Monday 5-November	1:00 PM	Round 1
Tuesday 6-November	1:00 PM	Round 2
Wednesday 7-November	1:00 PM	Round 3
Thursday 8-November	1:00 PM	Round 4
Friday 9-November	1:00 PM	Round 5
Saturday 10-November	1:00 PM	Round 6
Sunday 11-November	1:00 PM	Round 7
Monday 12-November	1:00 PM	Round 8
Tuesday 13-November	11:00 AM	Round 9
Tuesday 13-November	5:00 PM	Playoff *

* All times listed are CDT (GMT-6).

Prize Fund

**Winter Classic A Prize Fund**
Place	Prize	Place	Prize
1^st	$6,000	6^th	$1,500
2^nd	$4,000	7^th	$1,000
3^rd	$3,000	8^th	$1,000
4^th	$2,000	9^th	$1,000
5^th	$1,500	10^th	$1,000
Total Prize Fund		$22,000

**Winter Classic B Prize Fund**
Place	Prize	Place	Prize
1^st	$4,000	6^th	$800
2^nd	$2,500	7^th	$600
3^rd	$2,000	8^th	$600
4^th	$1,500	9^th	$500
5^th	$1,000	10^th	$500
Total Prize Fund		$14,000

Regulations

Format Summary:
The 2018 Winter Chess Classic shall be a 10-player tournament paired as a Round Robin.

Prompt Arrival: Players are expected to arrive promptly for their games. Players not at their board at the beginning of each round may receive a fine of $500 to be deducted from their prize for each occurrence. Players more than 30 (thirty) minutes late for a round shall forfeit that round. Players who withdraw or forfeit a game may not receive any prize money.
No Draws: A 30-move draw rule will be in effect throughout the Event, including any playoff games. Player may not mutually agree to a draw in less than 30 moves.
No Cell Phones: No cell phones or other electronic devices shall be allowed in the tournament area. Any violation of this policy will result in a fine of $500 to be deducted from Player’s prize for each occurrence. In addition to the fine, a violation involving a cell phone or other electronic device that emits any noise during a game shall result in forfeiture of that game. If a violation occurs in subsequent games, the same penalties shall apply.
Time Control: 90 minutes for the first 40 moves followed by 30 minutes for the rest of the game with an addition of 30 seconds (increment) per move starting from move one.
Notation: Due to the 30-second increment, Players are required to maintain an accurate and legible score sheet at all times during all games, and are required to keep their notation up-to-date.
Chief Arbiter Discretion: In the event of an unexpected occurrence, the Chief Arbiter reserves the right to make all decisions in conjunction with or on behalf of the CHESS CLUB.
Playoff Procedures: The following tie-breaks will be used for the purposes of the crosstable and any special prizes or trophies: 1. Direct Encounter (if applicable), 2. Most Blacks, 3. Koya System, 4. Sonneborn-Berger, 5. Won Games. If two or more Players are tied for first, a playoff will be held to determine final standings among all tied players. An Armageddon Game is defined as follows: White shall start with 5 minutes with a two-second increment and black shall start with 4 minutes with a two-second increment. Black shall be declared the winner if the game ends in a draw.
- Two Players: The tie will be broken with a two-game rapid match (G/10 +2 delay). If the contest is still undecided, the match will be decided by an Armageddon Game.
- Three or Four Players: If there are three or four Players tied for first, the Players shall contest a rapid round robin (G/10 +2 delay). If no clear winner is produced, the remaining tied players shall contest a blitz (G/3 +2 delay) a) round robin (if three or four players remain tied) or b) 2-game match (if two players remain tied). If the contest is still undecided, the match will be decided by a series of Armageddon Games.
- More Than Four Players: If more than four players are tied for first place, a combination of math tie-breaks and playoffs will be used to determine the winner. The format if more than four players are tied for first will be determined by the Arbiter and the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis.