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2021 Champions Showdown: Chess 9LX

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

Event Details

Sep 7, 2021 - Sep 10, 2021

The highly anticipated Champions Showdown: Chess 9LX tournament returns this year with over the board competition once again. This tournament will feature the world’s top grandmasters including legendary World Champion Garry Kasparov! The matches will be played in Chess 960 style, also known as Fischer Random, with a $150,000 prize fund. Kicking off the tournament will be the Ultimate Moves exhibition event on September 7th at 1:00pm CT. Ultimate Moves is a casual team based event with Saint Louis Chess Club co-founder Rex Sinquefield playing on one team and Saint Louis Chess Club board member, Mike Leuken playing on the competing team.Spectators are not allowed this year due to local COVID-19 restrictions, but viewers can watch live on saintlouischessclub.org or on Saint Louis Chess Club’s YouTube and Twitch.tv channels.

What is Chess 960?

Chess 960, also known as Fischer Random, is a variant of chess created by Bobby Fischer in the late 1990s in which the pieces on the home rank are randomized, with 960 representing the number of possible starting positions.

What is Chess 9LX?

Chess 9LX is a trademark of the Saint Louis Chess Club, and the name of one of its annual tournaments. All competitions in the Chess 9LX tournament are played in the Chess 960 or Fischer Random style. Players will not know the order of the home rank pieces until they arrive before the start of the round and will have to rely on their creativity in rapid and blitz games.

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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 Dominguez Perez, Leinier	USA	2758	x	1	½	0	½	0	1	1	1	1	6.0
2	GM So, Wesley	USA	2772	0	x	1	0	½	1	½	1	½	1	5.5
3	GM Vachier-Lagrave, Maxime	FRA	2751	½	0	x	1	1	0	½	1	½	1	5.5
4	GM Shankland, Sam	USA	2709	1	1	0	x	0	½	½	½	1	1	5.5
5	GM Kasparov, Garry	RUS	2812	½	½	0	1	x	½	1	0	½	1	5.0
6	GM Caruana, Fabiano	USA	2806	1	0	1	½	½	x	½	0	0	1	4.5
7	GM Aronian, Levon	ARM	2782	0	½	½	½	0	½	x	1	1	0	4.0
8	GM Mamedyarov, Shakhriyar	AZE	2782	0	0	0	½	1	1	0	x	1	0	3.5
9	GM Nakamura, Hikaru	USA	2736	0	½	½	0	½	1	0	0	x	½	3.0
10	GM Svidler, Peter	RUS	2714	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	1	½	x	2.5

The Players

Additional Info

Sam Shankland

Invitational Rating: 2709

Garry Kasparov

Invitational Rating: 2812

Peter Svidler

Invitational Rating: 2714

Leinier Dominquez

Invitational Rating: 2758

Shakhriyar Mamedyarov

Invitational Rating: 2782

Levon Aronian

Invitational Rating: 2782

Hikaru Nakamura

Invitational Rating: 2736

Wesley So

Invitational Rating: 2772

Fabiano Caruana

Invitational Rating: 2806

Maxime Vachier-Lagrave

Invitational Rating: 2751

Schedule

DATE	TIME*	EVENT
Tuesday, September 7	1:00 PM	Ultimate Moves Exhibition 4 games, G/10+5, rotate every 5 moves
Tuesday, September 7	6:00 PM	Private Opening Dinner
Wednesday, September 8	1:45 PM	Reveal Position
	2:00 PM	9LX Round 1
	3:00 PM	Reveal Position
	3:15 PM	9LX Round 2
	4:15 PM	Reveal Position
	4:30 PM	9LX Round 3
Thursday, September 9	1:45 PM	Reveal Position
	2:00 PM	9LX Round 4
	3:00 PM	Reveal Position
	3:15 PM	9LX Round 5
	4:15 PM	Reveal Position
	4:30 PM	9LX Round 6
Friday, September 10	1:45 PM	Reveal Position
	2:00 PM	9LX Round 7
	3:00 PM	Reveal Position
	3:15 PM	9LX Round 8
	4:15 PM	Reveal Position
	4:30 PM	9LX Round 9
	5:30 PM	Playoffs (if necessary)
	6:30 PM	Private Closing Dinner

*All times are Central Time*

Prize Fund

PLACE	PRIZE	PLACE	PRIZE
1st	$37,500	6th	$10,000
2nd	$25,000	7th	$7,500
3rd	$20,000	8th	$7,500
4th	$15,000	9th	$7,500
5th	$12,500	10th	$7,500
Total Prize Fund: $150,000

Regulations

Format: Champions Showdown: Chess9LX (“the Event”) is a round robin Chess960 (Fischer Random) tournament played at rapid time controls
Venue:The Event shall be held at the Saint Louis Chess Club (4657 Maryland Avenue, Saint Louis, MO 63108 USA)
Schedule of Events: Each round shall begin at the start times listed in the Schedule of Events attached hereto as Exhibit A (the “Schedule of Events”).
Pairings & Scoring:
- Players will draw lots during the players meeting to determine their pairing number
- Players will be paired based on the standard FIDE Berger tables
- In each game, a win is worth 1 point, a draw is worth ½ point and a loss is worth 0 points
- Games will be submitted to the Universal Rating System for rating
Starting Position:
- The starting position shall be the same for each game in a particular round
- The starting position will be different for each round
- If the standard chess position is drawn, then the Chief Arbiter, in conjunction with the Saint Louis Chess Club, will draw a new position
- If the position from any round is drawn again (including for the playoffs), then the Chief Arbiter, in conjunction with the Saint Louis Chess Club, will draw a new position
- The Chief Arbiter, in conjunction with the Saint Louis Chess Club, will draw the new positions. The position will be revealed ten minutes prior to the start of play.
- Players may independently analyze the position for the time allotted in 5.3. Player may not consult any software, chess engines, notes, nor receive assistance from any other person. Players may discuss the position with other Players in the event
Time Control: The time control shall be twenty (20) minutes per game, with a five (5)-second increment from move one (G/20+5)
Prizes: The total prize fund shall be $150,000 (One Hundred Fifty Thousand U.S. Dollars)
Tiebreak:
- In the event of a tie for first place, there shall be a playoff to determine final standings among all tied players
- All prize money shall be divided equally among all tied players
- Should mathematical tiebreaks be needed, they shall be applied in the following order: 1. Direct Encounter, 2. Most Blacks, 3. Koya System, 4. Sonneborn Berger, 5. Won Games
- An Armageddon Game is defined as follows: White shall start with 5 minutes and black shall start with 4 minutes. 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 Chess960 match (G/10 +2 increment). A new position will be drawn for this 2-game match, and each player shall contest it from the white side and black side. If the contest is still undecided, the match will be decided by a Chess960 Armageddon Game, with a new starting position drawn.
- Three or Four Players: If there are three or four Players tied for first, the Players shall contest a Chess960 rapid round robin (G/10 +2 increment). All games will be played with the same starting position. If no clear winner is produced, the remaining tied players shall contest a Chess960 blitz (G/3 +2 increment) a) round robin (if three or four players remain tied) or b) 2-game match (if two players remain tied) from a new starting position. If the contest is still undecided, the match will be decided by a series of Chess960 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 Saint Louis Chess Club
Arbitration:
- The tournament shall be played according to the FIDE Laws of Chess
- The tournament shall be supervised by the Chief Arbiter (the “CA”)
  - The CA shall be responsible for ensuring fair play and implementing any anti-cheating measures
  - If a player wishes to appeal a decision of the CA, they must do so immediately after the game by notifying the CA
  - The Chief Organizer (the “CO”) shall appoint a three (3)-person appeals committee consisting of at least two (2) arbiters (the “Appeals Committee”). The CO shall be Tony Rich, IA, IO
  - Decisions of the Appeals Committee are final
- In the event of an unexpected occurrence, the CA reserves the right to make all decisions in conjunction with or on behalf of the CO