9/11/2026 – Garry Kasparov and Veselin Topalov will face each other in “Clutch Chess: The Legends” in Saint Louis from 11 to 13 September. The two former members of the chess elite will play a twelve-game Chess960 match, with wins becoming more valuable on each successive day. The encounter follows Kasparov’s victory over Viswanathan Anand last year and renews a rivalry that was already revived in Saint Louis in 2018 with a Chess960 match. | Photos: St. Louis Chess Club, Austin Fuller | Live with commentary from 18:40 CEST / 17:40 BST / 12:40 ET / 22:10 IST.
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With the moves d4-Nf3-e3-Bd3 White aims for simple piece development and to slowly build up a devastating attack on the kingside!
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2026 Clutch Chess: The Legends
Garry Kasparov and Veselin Topalov will face each other at the Saint Louis Chess Club in September in “Clutch Chess: The Legends”. The twelve-game Chess960 match will take place from 11 to 13 September, with four games scheduled on each of the three days. Kasparov and Topalov will play two rapid games followed by two blitz games each day.
Live commentary
GM Yasser Seirawan, GM Maurice Ashley and James Dash will commentate
YOUR PERSONAL CHESS COACH - Whether you’re taking your first steps into the world of club chess, or already playing at a tournament level: with FRITZ, you can train more efficiently, intelligently and with a more personalised approach than ever before. FRITZ is more than just a chess engine – it’s a training revolution! Whether you’re taking your first steps into the world of club chess, or already playing at a tournament level: with FRITZ, you can train more efficiently, intelligently and with a more personalised approach than ever before.
Regulations
The official programme began with the opening ceremony and drawing of lots on 10 September. The games will take place over the following three days, starting at 12:00 local time (19:00 CEST) each day. The clash between the two legends uses the Clutch Chess scoring system developed by Grandmaster Maurice Ashley, in which wins become increasingly valuable as the event progresses. A win is worth 1 point on the first day, 2 points on the second and 3 points on the final day.
The game bonuses follow the same pattern: $1,000 for each win on day one, $2,000 on day two and $3,000 on day three. The total prize fund is $144,000, with $70,000 going to the winner and $50,000 to the runner-up. An additional $24,000 is available in game bonuses.
If a game is drawn, its bonus is carried over to games 11 and 12. This means that the final blitz game, played at a time control of 5 minutes plus a 3-second increment, could theoretically be worth the entire $24,000 bonus. If the match ends in an overall tie, Kasparov and Topalov will each receive $60,000 from the main prize fund.
Kasparov and Topalov have faced each other in Chess960 in Saint Louis before. At the 2018 Champions Showdown, Topalov defeated Kasparov 14½-11½ in a 20-game match consisting of six rapid games and fourteen blitz games (wins in the rapid games were worth 2 points each). It was Kasparov's first competitive experience with random starting positions. | Photo: Austin Fuller
8/31/2026 – Garry Kasparov and Veselin Topalov will meet in Saint Louis from 11 to 13 September for Clutch Chess: The Legends. The two former members of the sport's elite will contest a 12-game chess960 match, with the value of wins increasing on each successive day. The encounter follows Kasparov's 2025 victory over Viswanathan Anand and revisits a rivalry that also featured a chess960 match in Saint Louis in 2018.
8/11/2026 – The inaugural Apogee Chess Festival will take place in Caissargues, near Nîmes, from 22 to 30 August 2026, combining competitive chess with the cultural heritage of southern France. Organised by IM Silvia Alexieva, the event will feature two FIDE-rated open sections, a €26,000 prize fund and a special appearance by former FIDE world champion Veselin Topalov, who will give a simultaneous exhibition near the historic Maison Carrée.
This entry into the 60 minutes series concentrates on the Modern variation of the Italian game where White opens the centre early : 1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bc4 Nf6 4 d4 exd4 5 e5!. This line can be reached by various move orders, most frequently from the Scotch 3 d4 exd4 4 Bc4. It's a sharp variation and Grandmasters such as Evgeny Sveshnikov have used it frequently,with very good results. It's a perfect line for club players to adopt which is relatively easy to learn and which contains many traps. All the main responses are covered here, including 5...d5, 5...Ng4 and 5...Ne4 and the conclusion is that is is difficult for Black to equalize in a straightforward way. Problems are being posed, which over the board might prove tough to solve.
YOUR PERSONAL CHESS COACH - Whether you’re taking your first steps into the world of club chess, or already playing at a tournament level: with FRITZ, you can train more efficiently, intelligently and with a more personalised approach than ever before.
Michael Kotyk presents a complete repertoire after 1.e4 e5, built around creative ideas, surprising move orders, and practical weapons designed to catch your opponents off guard.
YOUR PERSONAL CHESS COACH - Whether you’re taking your first steps into the world of club chess, or already playing at a tournament level: with FRITZ, you can train more efficiently, intelligently and with a more personalised approach than ever before.
Michael Kotyk presents a complete repertoire after 1.e4 e5, built around creative ideas, surprising move orders, and practical weapons designed to catch your opponents off guard.
Michael Kotyk presents a complete repertoire after 1.e4 e5, built around creative ideas, surprising move orders, and practical weapons designed to catch your opponents off guard.
“Attack with Qh5!!” – Tactical training with Oliver Reeh, “6…g5 – nothing ventured, nothing …” – Le Quang Liem comments on one of his victories in Biel, “Grischuk’s stroke of genius” – Petra Papp reveals a surprise in the Sicilian Kan Variation, and much
YOUR PERSONAL CHESS COACH - Whether you’re taking your first steps into the world of club chess, or already playing at a tournament level: with FRITZ, you can train more efficiently, intelligently and with a more personalised approach than ever before.
While tactics decide the game in concrete moments, strategy guides the entire battle. Understanding how to improve your pieces, create weaknesses, execute maneuvers, and steer the game toward favorable structures is what defines strong players.
€39.90
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