Anand and Kasparov to battle at Clutch Chess Legends 2025, a Rapid and Blitz Chess960 12-game match
Vishy Anand and Garry Kasparov will play a dozen Chess960 games in Rapid and Blitz format at Clutch Chess Legends. On day 1, each win is worth 1 point and $1000, for day 2, each win is worth 2 points and $2000, a win on day 3 will fetch 3 points and $3000. Total prize fund is US$ 144000. Winner will get $70000 and runner-up $50000. There will be an additional $24000. In case of a draw, the prize from that game will roll over to game 11 and 12, making the stakes grow larger in the final games. Garry Kasparov's arrival in Saint Louis was delayed due to unavoidable circumstances. Fabiano Caruana, Levon Aronian, Yasser Seirawan and Maurice Ashley joined Anand in the autograph and photograph session. Photo: Lennart Ootes / Saint Louis Chess Club
Score and prize increases by the day
Two former world champions, Garry Kasparov and Viswanathan Anand, go head-to-head in a special Clutch Chess: The Legends exhibition match. This once-in-a-generation clash celebrates the legacy of two chess greats and officially launches the month of reopening festivities.
The exhibition match will be the first event held in the Club’s enhanced facility, reaffirming the city’s role as the chess capital of the United States and a global leader in the game. The event will feature a $144,000 prize fund awarded across a spirited 12-game Chess960 (Fischer Random) match between the two icons, played at rapid and blitz time controls and with an innovative scoring system designed to captivate both players and fans.
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 $1000. For Day 2, each win is worth 2 points and $2000. And for day 3, each win is worth 3 points and $3000.
In Clutch Chess: The Legends, the winner will receive $70000 and the runner-up $50000 ($60K each in the event of a tie). The players will play 12 games over 3 days in a Chess 960 format with a new position drawn each day. There will be an additional $24000 in bonus money. If a game is drawn, the prize from that game will roll over to games 11 and 12, making the stakes grow larger and larger all the way to the very final game. Theoretically, game 12, which will be a Blitz game played at 5 min + 3 sec. time control could be worth the entire bonus of $24000!
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.
Watch live stream
Links
|
Clutch Chess Legends 2025 G1-4: Kasparov scores the first win
@ 09/10/2025 by Shahid Ahmed (en) |