London Chess Classic 2017

The London Chess Classic is a 10-player round-robin, played December 1st to 11th. The event is the 5th and final leg of the Grand Chess Tour and features World Champion Magnus Carlsen, Viswanathan Anand, Levon Aronian, Fabiano Caruana, Hikaru Nakamura, Wesley So, Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, Ian Nepomniachtchi and Sergey Karjakin, plus the English wild card pick Mickey Adams.

Round 1 is played at Google HQ in London, and the remaining rounds at the traditional venue the Olympia Conference Centre in Kensington. The tournament has a prize fund of USD $300,000, with a first prize of $75,000.

Players receive 100 minutes for 40 moves, followed by 60 minutes for the remainder of the game with a 30 second delay per move starting from move 1.

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London Chess Classic: Caruana's playoff

12/13/2017 – Fabiano Caruana won in the fourth blitz tiebreak game to take the London Chess Classic trophy and bragging rights. A fitting conclusion to the tournament, as he not only was the first grandmaster to win in London, but he also managed to win his clutch last round game against Mickey Adams. Ian Nepomniachtchi took an early draw and had the benefit of hours of rest, but as Fabiano explains, that may have been a mixed blessing. Interview and transcript. | Photo: Pascal Simon

Caruana wins London Classic, but Carlsen takes the Tour

12/12/2017 – Ian Nepomniachtchi made a quick draw with Maxime Vachier-Lagrave in under 30 minutes giving him a share of first place. But he had to wait nearly six hours to find out that Fabiano Caruana had equaled his score. The pair played an exciting blitz duel, which ended with Caruana as the London Chess Classic champ, while Magnus Carlsen took the overall Grand Chess Tour. Games annotated by GM Daniel Fernandez | Photo: Lennart Ootes

All London Chess Classic interviews

12/11/2017 – The official Grand Chess Tour webcast is a treasure trove of information, and the best, most convenient way to hear directly from the players after nearly every game. But at five hours or more, it can be tiresome to scan through each days full show to find the interesting guests spots. No more! We've pinpointed every major interview for one-click access.

London Chess Classic 2017 LIVE

12/11/2017 – Ian Nepomniachtchi and Fabiano Caruana tied for first place after nine rounds, leading to a blitz playoff, won by Caruana. But Magnus Carlsen took the Grand Chess Tour as a whole. The GCT finale was the 9th London Chess Classic, a 10-player round-robin, with a prize fund of USD $300,000. The LCC will return in 2018 with a new format.

London Chess Classic: Magnus on tilt

12/11/2017 – Round 8 saw a startling blunder from the World Champion whose frustration following the game was palpable. We have analysis of that critical game by GM Tiger Hillarp-Persson. Ian Nepomniachtchi now leads the tournament alone, half a point ahead of Fabiano Caruana, who drew his game. Maxime Vachier-Lagrave is in third. | Photo: Pascal Simon

London Classic: Nepomniachtchi joins lead

12/10/2017 – The tournament is now in full swing, and the thrilling battles in round seven show it. Magnus Carlsen had the strangest game, finding himself dead lost after 13 moves with his queen stuck in enemy territory. Somehow he cast his voodoo spell and turned it around to a win. Karjakin decided to test MVL's Najdorf and was to regret it, while Nepomniachtchi scored his second win, over Anand this time. Report and analysis by GM Alex Yermolinsky. | Photo: Pascal Simon

London Classic: Nakamura misses win against Carlsen

12/9/2017 – What a fun round it was. Round six may not have had many wins, but it was not short of excitement. The big game was between Hikaru Nakamura and Magnus Carlsen, with the American completely winning all the way until move 59 when he missed his chance. Aronian continues to play with no inhibitions, though drew against So, while Nepomniachtchi beat Adams. Report and analysis by GM Alex Yermolinsky. | Photo: Lennart Ootes

London Classic: Caruana wins again

12/7/2017 – Round five promised a lot more than what it yielded, but the audience won’t have left feeling the players did not deliver. Magnus Carlsen played a masterful game against Wesley So, achieving a won endgame, only to blunder it and draw. The winner of the day was once again Fabiano Caruana, who defeated Vishy Anand and now leads by a full point. Report with analysis by GM Tiger Hillarp-Persson. | Photo: Lennart Ootes

London Classic: Caruana breaks the deadlock

12/6/2017 – A win! A win was scored! Let us all dance, rejoice and make merry! For those who have followed this very disappointing start to an all-star lineup, such words are not hyperbole in any way or form. 19 draws and one decisive game represents a 95% draw rate after all. Sergey Karjakin fell to Fabiano Caruana when he found himself in unknown territory, and the latter, sensing weakness, pounced in a game annotated by GM Tiger Hillarp-Persson. | Photo: Lennart Ootes

London Classic: Peace at all costs

12/5/2017 – The bad news is that after three rounds, it has been 100% draws. Caruana even tweeted tongue-in-cheek, "We're thinking of renaming it to the Anish Giri Cup." The good news is that some players are clearly trying their best to break the fast. Aronian did everything he could, sacrificing material helter-skelter against Karjakin. When he was dead lost... he offered a draw. Report and analysis by GM Alex Yermolinsky. | Photo: Lennart Ootes

London Classic: A tepid start

12/4/2017 – If the first round looked like a car left in neutral, then round two was barely in second gear. Karjakin and Carlsen left their battles for another time, while So failed to make the most of a strange opening choice by Nepo. The game of the day was the sharp as nails Sicilian Dragon between Maxime Vachier Lagrave and Hikaru Nakamura, giving the audience something to cheer for. Report and analysis by GM Alex Yermolinsky. | Photo: Lennart Ootes

London Classic: A rest before the rest day

12/2/2017 – The London Chess Classic is the last event in the Grand Chess Tour and is also the last of the classical tournaments with the world's elite this year. The roster is mouthwatering for all fans, with Carlsen, Aronian, Caruana, So, and more. The opening round was a bit slow to gain traction and while there were chances for a couple of decisive results, it was all draws in the end. Round two is on Sunday. Report and analysis by GM Alex Yermolinsky | Photo: Lennart Ootes
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