Clutch Chess: Champions Showdown

Four of the world’s best chess players will converge on Saint Louis this fall for the 2025 Clutch Chess: Champions Showdown, taking place October 27-29 in the newly expanded Saint Louis Chess Club. The lineup features World No. 1 Magnus Carlsen, World No. 2 Hikaru Nakamura, World No. 3 Fabiano Caruana, and World Champion Gukesh Dommaraju in what will be the highest-rated chess tournament of the year.

With $412,000 in prize money, including daily win bonuses and a Champion’s Jackpot, the stakes have never been higher. The event’s 18-game rapid double round-robin format (10 minutes plus a 5-second increment) will feature escalating point values each day: Wins are worth 1 point on Day 1, 2 points on Day 2, and 3 points on Day 3…a comeback-friendly format that cultivates increased tension and fan excitement into the very last round.

“Having these four giants of the game here in Saint Louis shows the city’s importance on the world chess stage,” said GM Yasser Seirawan, event commentator and four-time U.S. Champion.

Clutch Chess is a unique type of chess tournament format, the brainchild of Grandmaster Maurice Ashley where the stakes build round by round with ever-increasing points and dollar prizes available each day. Unlike traditional chess tournaments, in Clutch Chess no lead is ever safe and every single game has meaning. Since point values for wins increase each day, players who start off slowly can stage dramatic comebacks all the way to the very end.

On Day 1, each win is worth 1 point and $1,000. For Day 2, each win is worth 2 points and $2,000. And for day 3, each win is worth 3 points and $3,000.

In Clutch Chess: Champions Showdown, the prize fund will total $412,000 with each game played at a Rapid time control of 10 min + 5 sec. The four prizes will be split first to fourth at $120K, $90K, $70K and $60K. There will be an additional $72,000 in bonus prizes. The prize from each drawn game will roll over into a Champion’s Jackpot, which only the winner of the tournament will receive. In case of a tie for first, there will be a playoff to determine the winner.

Four titans of the game. One city. High drama. Every move counts.

Whether it’s a match or a tournament, the Clutch Chess format guarantees that each and every game has meaning all the way to the finish line.