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ChessBase 17 - Mega package - Edition 2024
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The London Super Sixteen rapid tournament has ended. The main event of the London Chess Classic took place from December 11th to December 15th at the Olympiad Conference Center in London, England. The tournament brings together many of the best players of the World as well as two qualifiers from the Open section of the London Chess Classic.
The closing ceremony took place at Simpson's-in-the-Strand (above). This is one of London's oldest traditional English restaurants, known as the Grand Cigar Divan when it opened in 1828. It developed from a smoking room to a coffee house, and finally achieved dual fame for its traditional English food, particularly roast meat, and as the most important venue in Britain for chess in the nineteenth century.
As is now traditional, the players teamed together in a simultaneous exhibition, alternating moves. For those that have not tried this type of chess before, it is incredibly complicated. In many ocassions the grandmasters, not knowing exactly what the previous player was trying to do, will simply undo the move and the plan that had just been played!
Nakamura sharing a joke with one of the tables. Each table had its own
board and the grandmasters would walk around moving the pieces.
Caruana is still firmly in theory. The table he is playing against might not be as much.
Questions are always welcome. Gelfand ponders if he should answer truthfully...
This table in particular had a slightly higher rating average than the others. Somehow it was missing a chess set, though.
No matter, the players always find a board to blitz it out in anyways. Clockwise starting from bottom left: Caruana, Howell, Nakamura, Ali Mortazavi, and McShane. Ali Mortazavi (the only non grandmaster in the picture) is the director of corportate strategy for Silence, one of Nakamura's sponsors.
Gawain Jones with his wife WIM Sue Maroroa. They decided not to change names
to FIDE to avoid confusion. The example of WGM l'Ami and GM l'Ami comes
as an example of how confusing changing names can become...
Boris Gelfand and Vladimir Kramnik flank Tereza Pribanova
Not all chess sets are created equal. This is a special luxury set created by Purling London.
The strongest woman in the history of chess and Jason Kouchak, an internationally acclaimed pianist, composer and singer-songwriter whose works, interests, public contributions and charitable associations span the world including the United Kingdom, France, Japan, Singapore and Hong Kong.
Tania Sachdev played in the FIDE open with a good result,
while Lawrence Trent provided amazing commentary throughout the tournament
Malcolm Pein, the man in charge of it all, gives Hikaru Nakamura his prize
The FIDE open was led by Istatescu and Sutovsky with perfect 4.0/4, but since they were bumped up to the Super Sixteen rapids the way was paved for other players to win the event. After everything was said and done the young and talented Norwegian GM Jon Ludvig Hammer, one of Carlsen's seconds, was the winner with 7.5/9. He finished with an important victory against Abhijeet Gupta in the final round to clinch his first prize.
The tournament was very hard fought, for proof just look at how the last round ended:
Table | White | Score | Fed. | Rating |
Result
|
Black | Score | Fed. | Rating |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | GM Hammer, Jon Ludvig | 6.5 | NOR | 2612 |
1-0
|
GM Gupta, Abhijeet | 6.5 | IND | 2608 |
2 | GM Grachev, Boris | 6.0 | RUS | 2669 |
1-0
|
GM Nevednichy, Vladislav | 6.5 | ROU | 2604 |
3 | GM Gharamian, Tigran | 6.0 | FRA | 2656 |
1-0
|
IM Sarkar, Justin | 6.0 | USA | 2425 |
4 | IM Hawkins, Jonathan | 6.0 | ENG | 2512 |
0-1
|
GM Bartel, Mateusz | 6.0 | POL | 2649 |
5 | GM McDonald, Neil | 6.0 | ENG | 2418 |
1-0
|
GM Delchev, Aleksander | 6.0 | BUL | 2648 |
6 | GM Iordachescu, Viorel | 6.0 | MDA | 2614 |
1-0
|
IM Karavade, Eesha | 6.0 | IND | 2380 |
7 | GM Brunello, Sabino | 6.0 | ITA | 2603 |
½-½
|
GM Van Kampen, Robin | 5.5 | NED | 2601 |
8 | GM Cherniaev, Alexander | 5.5 | RUS | 2434 |
0-1
|
GM Hebden, Mark L | 5.5 | ENG | 2560 |
9 | GM Rahman, Ziaur | 5.5 | BAN | 2496 |
½-½
|
IM Slavin, Alexey | 5.5 | RUS | 2363 |
10 | IM Panjwani, Raja | 5.5 | CAN | 2460 |
1-0
|
Sreeves, Clement | 5.5 | SCO | 2251 |
Final Standings
Rank | Name | Score | Fed. | Rating | TPR | W-We | Prize |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1st | GM Hammer, Jon Ludvig | 7.5 | NOR | 2612 | 2728 | +1.32 | £2500 |
2nd= | GM Grachev, Boris | 7.0 | RUS | 2669 | 2648 | -0.07 | £1100 |
2nd= | GM Gharamian, Tigran | 7.0 | FRA | 2656 | 2616 | -0.26 | £1100 |
2nd= | GM Bartel, Mateusz | 7.0 | POL | 2649 | 2642 | +0.14 | £1100 |
2nd= | GM Iordachescu, Viorel | 7.0 | MDA | 2614 | 2609 | +0.03 | £1100 |
2nd= | GM McDonald, Neil | 7.0 | ENG | 2418 | 2576 | +1.90 | £1100 |
7th= | GM Gupta, Abhijeet | 6.5 | IND | 2608 | 2543 | -0.43 | £83.33 |
7th= | GM Nevednichy, Vladislav | 6.5 | ROU | 2604 | 2563 | -0.14 | £83.33 |
7th= | GM Brunello, Sabino | 6.5 | ITA | 2603 | 2625 | +0.50 | £83.33 |
7th= | GM Hebden, Mark L | 6.5 | ENG | 2560 | 2449 | -0.91 | £83.33 |
7th= | IM Panjwani, Raja | 6.5 | CAN | 2460 | 2501 | +0.71 | £83.33 |
7th= | IM Vakhidov, Jahongir | 6.5 | UZB | 2452 | 2526 | +1.06 | £83.33 |
Rank | Name | Score | Fed. | Rating | TPR | W-We |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | IM Ciuksyte, Dagne | 7.5 | ENG | 2345 | 2434 | +1.16 |
2 | WIM Foisor, Mihaela-Veronica | 7.0 | ROU | 2216 | 2415 | +2.66 |
3 | IM Bulmaga, Irina | 5.0 | ROU | 2396 | 2230 | -2.10 |
4 | WIM Fuchs, Judith | 4.5 | GER | 2337 | 2206 | -1.72 |
5 | WGM Nadig, Kruttika | 4.0 | IND | 2127 | 2212 | +1.00 |
6 | WFM Hegarty, Sarah N | 2.0 | ENG | 2127 | 2044 | -1.00 |
Irina Bulmaga, the top seed fo the event, in front of the London Eye
Her sixteen tournaments this year must have tired her out, as she was
rather out of shape in London. However she will be back in full strength
for the Graz Open in February. You can follow her adventures on her blog.
The women's section was narrowly won by Dagne Ciuksyte from England ahead of Veronica Foisor, the youngest of the Foisor family of players.
Special thanks to Ray Morris-Hill for providing all the photography during the event.
A London based professional photographer specialising in Chess, Portraits, Sports, Fashion and Wildlife. He has published pictures in The Times, The Guardian, "Коммерсантъ", Digital Photographer, Esquire, Time Out, Drapers, 220 Triathlon, Peón de Rey, Chess Life, British Chess Magazine and of course, Chess and www.chessbase.com. His main career has been as a marketing consultant for home shopping companies in the UK. However, in the last four years, as his photography business has grown rapidly, more of his time has been taken up behind the camera.
Semi Final matches:
Player | Rtg | G1 | G2 | Pts |
Kramnik, Vladimir | 2793 |
½
|
0
|
0.5
|
Nakamura, Hikaru | 2786 |
½
|
1
|
1.5
|
Player | Rtg | G1 | G2 | Pts |
Gelfand Boris | 2777 |
1
|
½
|
1.5
|
Adams, Michael | 2754 |
0
|
½
|
0.5
|
Quarter Final matches:
Player | Rtg | G1 | G2 | Pts |
Kramnik, Vladimir | 2793 |
½
|
1
|
1.5 |
Anand, Vishy | 2773 |
½
|
0
|
0.5 |
Player | Rtg | G1 | G1 | T1 | T2 | Pts |
Adams, Michael | 2754 |
1
|
0
|
1
|
1
|
3.0 |
Svidler, Peter | 2758 |
0
|
1
|
0
|
0
|
1.0 |
Player | Rtg | G1 | G2 | Pts |
Short, Nigel | 2683 |
0
|
½
|
0.5 |
Nakamura, Hikaru | 2786 |
1
|
½
|
1.5 |
Player | Rtg | G1 | G1 | T1 | T2 | Pts |
Caruana, Fabiano | 2777 |
½
|
½
|
0
|
0
|
1.0 |
Gelfand, Boris | 2782 |
½
|
½
|
1
|
1
|
3.0 |
Round 01 – Group A: Wednesday December 11th, 14:00 | ||||
Luke McShane | 2697 |
0-1
|
Vishy Anand | 2775 |
Andrei Istratescu | 2709 |
0-1
|
Michael Adams | 2761 |
Round 01 – Group B: Wednesday December 11th, 14:00 | ||||
Vladimir Kramnik | 2794 |
1-0
|
Peter Svidler | 2746 |
Jonathan Rowson | 2573 |
1-0
|
Matthew Sadler | 2646 |
Round 01 – Group C: Wednesday December 11th, 15:30 | ||||
Boris Gelfand | 2764 |
1-0
|
Judit Polgar | 2696 |
Gawain Jones | 2633 |
½-½
|
Hikaru Nakamura | 2772 |
Round 01 – Group D: Wednesday December 11th, 15:30 | ||||
Nigel Short | 2684 |
½-½
|
David Howell | 2644 |
Fabiano Caruana | 2779 |
1-0
|
Emil Sutovsky | 2663 |
Round 02 – Group A: Wednesday December 11th, 18:00 | ||||
Vishy Anand | 2775 |
½-½
|
Michael Adams | 2761 |
Luke McShane | 2697 |
1-0
|
Andrei Istratescu | 2709 |
Round 02 – Group B: Wednesday December 11th, 18:00 | ||||
Peter Svidler | 2746 |
½-½
|
Matthew Sadler | 2646 |
Vladimir Kramnik | 2794 |
1-0
|
Jonathan Rowson | 2573 |
Round 02 – Group C: Wednesday December 11th, 19:30 | ||||
Judit Polgar | 2696 |
0-1
|
Hikaru Nakamura | 2772 |
Boris Gelfand | 2764 |
1-0
|
Gawain Jones | 2633 |
Round 02 – Group D: Wednesday December 11th, 19:30 | ||||
David Howell | 2644 |
1-0
|
Emil Sutovsky | 2663 |
Nigel Short | 2684 |
0-1
|
Fabiano Caruana | 2779 |
Round 03 – Group C: Thursday December 12th, 14:00 | ||||
Gawain Jones | 2633 |
0-1
|
Judit Polgar | 2696 |
Hikaru Nakamura | 2772 |
½-½
|
Boris Gelfand | 2764 |
Round 03 – Group D: Thursday December 12th, 14:00 | ||||
Fabiano Caruana | 2779 |
½-½
|
David Howell | 2644 |
Emil Sutovsky | 2663 |
0-1
|
Nigel Short | 2684 |
Round 03 – Group A: Thursday December 12th, 15:30 | ||||
Andrei Istratescu | 2709 |
0-1
|
Vishy Anand | 2775 |
Michael Adams | 2761 |
½-½
|
Luke McShane | 2697 |
Round 03 – Group B: Thursday December 12th, 15:30 | ||||
Jonathan Rowson | 2573 |
0-1
|
Peter Svidler | 2746 |
Matthew Sadler | 2646 |
½-½
|
Vladimir Kramnik | 2794 |
Round 04 – Group C: Thursday December 12th, 18:00 | ||||
Judit Polgar | 2696 |
½-½
|
Boris Gelfand | 2764 |
Hikaru Nakamura | 2772 |
1-0
|
Gawain Jones | 2633 |
Round 04 – Group D: Thursday December 12th, 18:00 | ||||
David Howell | 2644 |
0-1
|
Nigel Short | 2684 |
Emil Sutovsky | 2663 |
0-1
|
Fabiano Caruana | 2779 |
Round 04 – Group A: Thursday December 12th, 19:30 | ||||
Vishy Anand | 2775 |
1-0
|
Luke McShane | 2697 |
Michael Adams | 2761 |
1-0
|
Andrei Istratescu | 2709 |
Round 04 – Group B: Thursday December 12th, 19:30 | ||||
Peter Svidler | 2746 |
1-0
|
Vladimir Kramnik | 2794 |
Matthew Sadler | 2646 |
1-0
|
Jonathan Rowson | 2573 |
Round 05 – Group A: Friday December 13th, 14:00 | ||||
Luke McShane | 2697 |
0-1
|
Michael Adams | 2761 |
Vishy Anand | 2775 |
½-½
|
Andrei Istratescu | 2709 |
Round 05 – Group B: Friday December 13th, 14:00 | ||||
Vladimir Kramnik | 2794 |
½-½
|
Matthew Sadler | 2646 |
Peter Svidler | 2746 |
1-0
|
Jonathan Rowson | 2573 |
Round 05 – Group C: Friday December 13th, 15:30 | ||||
Boris Gelfand | 2764 |
½-½
|
Hikaru Nakamura | 2772 |
Judit Polgar | 2696 |
0-1
|
Gawain Jones | 2633 |
Round 05 – Group D: Friday December 13th, 15:30 | ||||
Nigel Short | 2684 |
1-0
|
Emil Sutovsky | 2663 |
David Howell | 2644 |
0-1
|
Fabiano Caruana | 2779 |
Round 06 – Group A: Friday December 13th, 18:00 | ||||
Michael Adams | 2761 |
½-½
|
Vishy Anand | 2775 |
Andrei Istratescu | 2709 |
1-0
|
Luke McShane | 2697 |
Round 06 – Group B: Friday December 13th, 18:00 | ||||
Matthew Sadler | 2646 |
½-½
|
Peter Svidler | 2746 |
Jonathan Rowson | 2573 |
½-½
|
Vladimir Kramnik | 2794 |
Round 06 – Group C: Friday December 13th, 19:30 | ||||
Hikaru Nakamura | 2772 |
½-½
|
Judit Polgar | 2696 |
Gawain Jones | 2633 |
1-0
|
Boris Gelfand | 2764 |
Round 06 – Group D: Friday December 13th, 19:30 | ||||
Emil Sutovsky | 2663 |
1-0
|
David Howell | 2644 |
Fabiano Caruana | 2779 |
1-0
|
Nigel Short | 2684 |
Photographs by Ray Morris-Hill
LinksThe games will be broadcast live on the official web site and on the chess server Playchess.com. If you are not a member you can download a free Playchess client there and get immediate access. You can also use ChessBase 12 or any of our Fritz compatible chess programs. |