2026 Clutch Chess: The Legends
Garry Kasparov and Veselin Topalov will meet in September when the two former world champions face each other in Clutch Chess: The Legends at the Saint Louis Chess Club. The 12-game chess960 match will be played from 11 to 13 September, with four games scheduled on each of the three competition days. Kasparov and Topalov will play two rapid games followed by two blitz games each day.
As is customary in chess960 - also known as Fischer Random or Freestyle Chess, and branded Chess9LX in Saint Louis - the pieces on the back rank are rearranged before play, with a new starting position to be drawn for each day of the match. The official programme includes the opening ceremony and drawing of lots on 10 September, while play begins at noon local time on the following three days.
On this DVD a team of experts gets to the bottom of Kasparov's play. In over 8 hours of video running time the authors Rogozenko, Marin, Reeh and Müller cast light on four important aspects of Kasparov's play: opening, strategy, tactics and endgame.The event will use the Clutch Chess scoring system devised by GM Maurice Ashley, under which victories become increasingly valuable as the contest progresses. A win is worth 1 point on the opening day, 2 points on day two, and 3 points on the final day.
The same progression applies to the game bonuses: $1,000 for each victory on day one, $2,000 on day two and $3,000 on day three. The total prize fund is $144,000, with the match winner receiving $70,000 and the runner-up $50,000. A further $24,000 is available in game-by-game bonuses.
When a game is drawn, its bonus is carried forward to games 11 and 12. This means the final blitz game, played at a time control of 5 minutes plus a 3-second increment, could theoretically have the entire $24,000 bonus attached to it. In the event of an overall tie, Kasparov and Topalov would receive $60,000 each from the main prize fund.
Garry Kasparov and Veselin Topalov sharing a laugh at the Saint Louis Chess Club in 2018 | Photo: Austin Fuller
The match comes a year after Kasparov faced a fellow former world champion, Viswanathan Anand, under the same format. Kasparov won that contest 13-11, clinching the match with two games still to play after scoring four victories while Anand had yet to win a game. Anand then won the final two blitz encounters to reduce the final margin.
Kasparov and Topalov have met previously in chess960 in Saint Louis. 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 rapid were worth 2 points). It was Kasparov's first competitive experience with randomised starting positions.
Topalov 14½-11½ Kasparov
Rapid: wins=2pts.; Blitz: win=1pt.
Select an entry from the list to switch between games
Top trainers strongly recommend regular study of well-explained classical games to improve your understanding of chess in the long term. 33 modern classics are explained in details on this video course.
Garry Kasparov | Photo: Lennart Ootes
Veselin Topalov | Photo: Lennart Ootes
Since then, Kasparov has returned regularly to Saint Louis for rapid, blitz and chess960 appearances, with mixed results. He finished fifth with 5/9 at the 2021 Champions Showdown Chess9LX, only a point behind winner Leinier Dominguez, but managed only ½/9 in the corresponding event the following year. Topalov, meanwhile, has played little competitive chess in recent years.
The Saint Louis Chess Club has also announced the event Clutch Chess: Champions Showdown for 27-29 October. The four-player rapid event is set to feature Javokhir Sindarov, Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu, Fabiano Caruana and Hikaru Nakamura.
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