Experience vs Rising Stars in Amsterdam

Карлсен and Карякин – a new case of the Ks

Ever since the legendary rivalry between Karpov and Kasparov – Kapnob and Kacnapob was what most people read off the nameplates – we know that it helps your world championship aspirations if your name starts with a K. Didn’t Kortchnoi play two matches for the world championship? Wasn’t it Kramnik who beat Kasparov in London in 2000? And what about Khalifman and Kasimdzhnanov, who came out on top in the FIDE knock-out world championship? With Carlsen (very close to a K) and Karjakin we have two new K’s who many believe are world championship material. Both super talents are playing at the NH Chess Tournament in Amsterdam where they hope to earn an invitation to next year’s Amber Blindfold and Rapid tournament.

Whenever there is talk about future world champions, two names invariably crop up: 15-year-old Magnus Carlsen from Norway and 16-year-old Sergey Karjakin from Ukraine. You can’t blame the pundits, since both youngsters have proven more than once that they are ready to fight with the very best. As for their recent results, Carlsen just finished second in the Biel where he beat tournament winner Alexander Morozevich twice, while Karjakin was once again the star of the Ukrainian team at the Turin Olympiad. In the July 1 FIDE world rankings Karjakin is in 29th place with a rating of 2679. Carlsen follows close on his heels in 31st position with a rating of 2675.

At the NH Chess Tournament they will be playing on the same team, but they will also be rivals. The NH Chess Tournament, that starts on August 19 and finishes on August 29, is organized by the hotel chain NH Hotels in close cooperation with the Association Max Euwe in Monaco. It’s a Scheveningen tournament between a team of ‘Experience’ and a team of ‘Rising Stars’.

Experience		Rising Stars
Ulf Andersson, 55, Sweden, 2542		Magnus Carlsen, 15, Norway, 2675
Alexander Beliavsky, 52, Slovenia, 2625		Sergey Karjakin, 16, Ukraine, 2679
Artur Jussupow, 46, Germany, 2617		Jan Smeets, 21, Netherlands, 2532
Ljubomir Ljubojevic, 55, Serbia, 2551		Daniel Stellwagen, 19, Netherlands, 2575
John Nunn, 51, England, 2617		Wang Hao, 17, China, 2610

Each player of one team plays against each of the players of the other team. They do so twice, once with the white pieces and once with the black. The time-control is ‘classical’. The team that collects most points wins the tournament.

However, that’s only one side of the intrigue. In addition there are special prizes and one of them will no doubt highly motivate the youngsters: the ‘Rising Star’ with the best individual result (provided he has a positive score) will be invited to the prestigious Amber Blindfold and Rapid Tournament in Monaco early next year! A race between Carlsen and Karjakin seems most likely.

The venue in the heart of Amsterdam: Hotel Krasnapolsky

The tournament will be held in the NH Grand Hotel Krasnapolsky, a five-star hotel with a rich history. Particularly impressive is the fabulous Winter Garden restaurant, constructed in 1879, where the players will have their meals. The hotel is situated in the heart of Amsterdam, on Dam Square opposite the Royal Palace, at a short walk’s distance from Amsterdam Central Station.

The rounds start at 13.30 hrs with the exception of the last round on August 29 which starts at 12.00 hrs. Thursday, August 24 is a free day. The entrance is free and the spectators can watch the players in the playing room. In another room there will be daily commentary on the games. At the end of the afternoon, there will be a press conference with one (or more) of the players.

Those who cannot visit the tournament in Amsterdam can follow the action on-line. On the official website the games will be broadcast live and thanks to streaming video the players can be watched as well!

Schedule

Links

• Official web site